The Fabulous Kieran Scott!

I'm so honored to be able to interview this triple threat of an author (super-sweet, extremely prolific, and totally gorgeous)! For those of you who are currently residing under a rock and don't know who Kieran is, let me give you a brief introduction. Kieran is the author of over 100 books including, JINGLE BOY, GEEK MAGNET, and the NON-BLONDE CHEERLEADER Series. She also pens the extremely popular Private and Privilege series and other titles under the pseudonym Kate Brian. Oh yeah, she also writes books under the pseudonym Emma Harrison (Snow Queens coming out Jan 2010, don't you love that title?). I forgot to ask her if she feels the need to wear a name tag each day to remember who she is!

I wanted to find out more about the woman behind all those names so I threw some fun questions.

Steph: When did you start writing and how did you get your start?

Kieran: I wrote one half of a YA romance novel when I was a sophomore in high school. Shockingly the lead female was based on me and the lead male was based on this senior football player/photographer I was in love with. I think I got bored with it right around the time he asked one of my friends to the prom . . . . But oh, my actual career? Sorry. Right. I started out as an editor and one of my editor friends needed writers for a YA romance series she was working on. I wrote an outline and two sample chapters and got the job. The book was called Trust Me and it came out in on my 24th birthday, which was pretty cool. The rest is history.

(Kieran's extremely cool 24th birthday present)

Steph: Can you explain a little bit to our readers about the difference between writing a novel under your own name and writing under a pseudonym for a book packaging company?

Kieran: When I write a novel under my own name, it’s truly mine. My idea, my story, all me from start to finish (with some very insightful comments by my very insightful agent and editor). Writing for a book packager is a bit more like writing for TV. Because the books come out so fast, I plot them out with my editors and we all know where we’re going at least four books ahead of time. I do all the actual writing of the novels, but there’s a lot more help in the plotting/planning stages.

Steph: How many books have you written in total?

Kieran: Honestly, I stopped counting at a hundred. I’ve done a lot of ghost writing, quiz books, TV tie-in novels and biographies under several different names. These days, though, it’s just Kieran Scott, Kate Brian and Emma Harrison. Which is still a lot, I guess!
(That means that Kieran writes 10+ books a year! I'm fairly certain she subsists on Red Bull.)

Steph: Which cover is your favorite?

Kieran: I’ve always liked the Jingle Boy cover, which is funny since it’s probably my least-known novel. I also like the original hardcover art for A Non-Blonde Cheerleader in Love. Annisa jumping against an open sky. So cute!

(Kieran has some of the most adorable covers!)

Steph:Which of your characters do you feel mirrors you the most?

Kieran: KJ Miller of Geek Magnet is my most personal character. I had an alcoholic father just like she does and I felt trapped by my friends and family and their perception of me when I was in school. But luckily, like KJ, I found some people who took the time to understand me and support me and make me laugh. On some days I have a bit of Reed Brennan’s sarcastic outlook. On others I have Annisa Gobrowski’s positivity. Depends, probably, on how much sleep I’ve gotten the night before.

Steph: What author would YOU go completely fan-girl over?

Kieran: I would probably dissolve into a puddle if I met Sophie Kinsella or Maeve Binchy or Barbara Kingsolver. And I actually did drool a bit when I met Michael Chabon. Also, I think I scared Megan McCafferty when we first met. I believe the quote was. “I worship your writing!” Does that even make sense?

Steph: Did you attend a private school like Easton(the private school in the Private series)?

Kieran: No. Public school girl all the way. Although, like Reed, I was on the lower income side at a very high income school. My friends drove BMWs and had summer houses and ski houses and boats and horses. I had a Schwinn ten speed and two summer jobs at a time.

Steph: How were your summers as a teen spent?

Kieran: See above. :)I worked as a camp counselor, in a dry cleaner, at a Haagen Dazs, at a movie theater . . . And I did get to go to the beach a lot because I had friends with shore houses. (See above.) I remember having lots of sunburns and singing really loudly with the radio in the car. And pool parties. People were always having pool parties. Wow. I didn’t realize until this moment how much I miss pool parties . . . .

(I'll take two hundred scoops of chocolate peanut butter, please.)

Steph: Who is your biggest celebrity crush?

Kieran: Right now it’s definitely Taylor Kitsch aka Tim Riggins of Friday Night Lights. Chris Pine and James Marsden come in a close second and third. Huge crushes of the past include Michael Vartan, Taye Diggs, Matthew McConnaughey, Michael Hutchence and River Phoenix.

(James, Taylor, and Chris. Kieran also has exceptional taste!)

Steph: You are stranded on a desert island. What CD, DVD, candy, drink, food and comfort item do you take?

Kieran: CD: When The Pawn . . . by Fiona Apple
DVD: While You Were Sleeping. Wait! The Princess Bride. No . . .While You Were Sleeping. Can I have two?
CANDY: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
DRINK: Trader Joe’s Mango Lemonade
FOOD: Mom’s spaghetti and meat sauce
COMFORT ITEM: My husband? Okay, okay, if I can’t take a human . . . my huge Winnie the Pooh. He can be a pillow and give a good hug.

(Everybody needs a Pooh)

Steph: Are you an only child or do you have siblings? Do you think this affected your writing?

Kieran: I have an older brother and a younger sister. Both have definitely inspired characters in my novels, but I won’t tell you who, because they’d probably kill me. My older brother had a lot more freedom than me because he was older and a boy, and my younger sister got a lot more stuff than I did because she was the baby. Consequently, I think I heard the word “no” more than either of them did, which made me both A) bitter and B) responsible. The bitterness informs some of my writing. The responsibility helps me get stuff done!

Steph: Fictional Character Death Match
Noelle Lange vs. Blair Waldorf
Who is your money on?

Kieran: Are you kidding? Noelle would kick Blair’s butt! The girl tied one character to a pole and took out another with a lacrosse stick. Plus she’s an accomplished athlete, schemer AND know-it-all, whereas Blair only has the schemer part down. Now if they were competing in some kind of shopping event, I may have to put my money on Blair.

Steph: Do you ever get recognized in public? And if so, have you ever had any crazy fan moments?

Kieran: Only once was I recognized, and it was at BEA, so people were on the lookout. And once, at a signing, I had a girl threaten to kill herself if I didn’t bring Thomas Pearson back. There was a second there when I thought she was serious and that freaked me out more than a bit. (Yikes!)
Steph: What would you do if you weren’t an author?

Kieran: I’d probably teach English. That’s what I always thought I’d end up doing. Actually, I used to think I’d write for magazines, but I tried it and it was not for me. I’d rather make stuff up than report facts. I also love to bake and cook, so I might go to culinary school and give a career in food a whirl. Ooh! Or maybe I could be a pilates instructor! Wait. I’m having too much fun with this question. Next!
(Rachael better pray that Kieran sticks with writing or she could be in trouble!)

Steph: You can trade places with a celebrity for a week. Who would you pick?

Kieran: I would LOVE to know what Oprah Winfrey’s life is actually like. Or Michelle Obama’s. But I would also love to be someone really movie-star glamorous and cool like Kate Winslet or Cameron Diaz.


(Hmmm...#2 on the Forbes Celebrity Power List or make out with Jason Patric for money?? I would actually have a hard time deciding. )

Steph: Do you wish that some of today’s technology had been available when you were a teen?

Kieran: I wish I’d had access to the internet when writing papers, but I’m glad I didn’t have texting and facebook and twitter and all that because I never would have gotten anything else done.

Steph: Which of your books would you most like to see made into a movie and who would you cast as the main characters?

Kieran: Definitely I Was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader. It’s just so near and dear to my heart and I think the characters and action would translate so well on screen. Demi Lovato would be a perfect Annisa and I’m thinking Cody Linley for Daniel.


(Perfect casting!)

I want to thank Kieran for being an honorary bee today! If you want to find out more about Kieran, you can check her out here, http://www.myspace.com/kieranscott and here, http://www.myspace.com/katebrian. I also want to thank our readers by giving away four of Kieran's books, Geek Magnet, I Was A Non-Blonde Cheerleader, Brunettes Strike Back, and A Non-Blonde Cheerleader in Love. To be entered, just leave a comment telling us if you are a non-blonde cheerleader, a geek magnet, a boycotter of all things Christmas, or none of the above!

xo,

Stephanie

http://www.stephaniehale.com/

Introducing... Serena Robar!

~ Author Interview Week Continues on the Buzz Blog ~

In case you're just joining us, each day we are interviewing a different YA author we admire -- and giving away a copy of their books! You can enter to win by leaving a comment after you read the post.

We'll announce the winners at the end of the week -- and be sure to check back each day to see who is new on the blog. There are big, big names ahead, people. And, some wonderful authors who deserve to be big names. Like today's fab author, Serena Robar.

Serena is the author of the popular Berkeley JAM series, Braced 2 Bite -- and is back with a new book called Giving Up the V.

First Serena, tell us a little about your new book:

Spencer Davis is nowhere ready to give up the V, but when she turns sixteen her forward thinking mother takes her to the doctor and puts her on the pill. Now Spencer’s friend are obsessed with her doing it and when the new guy Ben arrives and takes an interest in her, she begins to wonder if he is V worthy.


What compelled you to write a book on such a controversial (yet necessary) topic? Did you have any reservations about

submitting the book to publishers?


Sometimes stories are given to you by the writing gods. Giving Up the V was one of those stories. I was sitting at the doctor’s office for my yearly female exam when one of the doctors (a harried fifty-something man) asked the young receptionist if giving up the V meant what he thought it did. He explained to the receptionist (and me too, but he didn’t know it. I was blatantly eavesdropping) that his last patient was a teen girl whose mother brought her in to get on the pill. The girl was annoyed and complained that she wasn’t ready to give up the V yet, so why did she have to be there? I remember pulling out my notebook (all writers carry one of these for just this sort of occasion) and wrote down the title and premise. The premise came practically gift wrapped. All I had to do was write the story.

As for having any reservations about the subject matter, no-not at all. If anything this book is a weird amalgam of sweet and outrageous, I was worried the publisher might tell me to choose one or the other, but they loved the mixture. Maybe that’s what the creator of Reese’s feared? Is it chocolate or is it peanut butter? Pick a side! Luckily they were two great tastes that taste great together. Just like Giving Up the V.

How did your own experiences as a teen navigating sex and romance influence you in writing Giving up the V?

Hah, that’s a therapy couch question if I ever heard one. When I was in elementary school my mom gave my sister and I a book entitled “Where did I come from?” That book and my teen sex talk which I loosely based on a scene in the book, where Spencer’s mom (a free spirit) talks about her first sex talk with Spencer’s grandmother (conservative Catholic). It boiled down to a single sentence. “Do it before you’re married and you’ll go straight to hell”. That was the extent of my sexual education on the home front. Though my mother would vehemently deny it.

How could I really talk to my mother about sex if her stance on the subject was ‘it’s forbidden’? I still had feelings, hormones, questions, concerns and let’s face it, I didn’t share her core belief system so motivating me with fear of hell wasn’t going to stop me. An open dialogue about sexual consequences, such as STD’s, unplanned pregnancy, etc would have been a much more effective. So instead of taking her advice, I did what most kids do, I discussed sex with my peers and formed my opinions and decisions based on those conversations.

I think the most surprising thing I took away from my own teen years was all the talk and discussion about the act itself but not much mention of how you feel afterward. The onslaught of emotions; vulnerability, insecurity, etc. I was completely unprepared for that side of it. I really wished I would have had someone with more life experience to talk to about that part.


What do you hope readers will take away from Giving Up the V?

Giving Up the V is a very light and funny look at peer pressure, family and growing up. I remember reading all the Judy Blume books when I was a kid. Are you There God, It’s me Margaret and Forever were required reading. We all talked about it because we totally connected with the characters and situations in the books. I think Giving up the V is like that. If Judd Apatow were to re-imagine a Judy Blume novel, that would be Giving Up the V.

Prior to Giving up the V, you wrote a series of vampire books for Berkeley Jam – do you think you’ll return to the paranormal genre someday?

I love paranormal YA’s. World building and creating a mythos with your own take on supernatural elements is what I love to do. However, my last publisher decided to move away from the light, funny YA paranormal and I had to come up with something that was more marketable. A contemporary story seemed like a natural transition and I loved that I got to explore the virginity theme in a coming of age story without distracting from the message with paranormal elements. I will continue to do paranormal if I can find the right publisher but I think I am hooked on writing contemporaries as well.


Did you always want to be a writer? What led you to writing YA fiction?

I used to write short stories and articles for the school paper when I was a teen, but I never considered myself a real writer. My true passion was reading. I loved to read anything and everything I could get my hands on, which was mostly romance since my neighbor belonged to numerous book clubs and she gave my sister and I all the books after reading them.

I knew I was a storyteller at a young age. I was good at it and people seemed to find me entertaining. I’m just glad I could write my stories down in a cohesive and entertaining way. That’s how I became a writer. The biggest struggle creative people have is finding the right medium. A storyteller can be a filmmaker, artist, game developer, songwriter, etc. Once you find an outlet for your creativity, it’s easier to make sense of where you fit in the world. I know tons of people (myself included) who pondered the question “What’s my role in the universe?” I’m just gratefully to have figured it out.

My voice lends naturally to YA fiction. I think teen fiction has great emotional potential because everything is new, big and all consuming. The only time in life when you are ruled by baser instincts and struggling to make some sense out of the chemical onslaught puberty jettisons into the body. It’s where your sense of self is first tested and character is molded. It’s a challenging and exciting genre to write in. I love it.


What are you working on next? Will there be a sequel to V?

I originally pitched GUTV as a series, but Simon pulse wanted a stand-alone story. I like Alyssa’s character and her story was just starting to heat up at the end of GUTV. Here is a girl who thought of her virginity as a burden, something to dispose of so she could get on with life. What happens to her and better yet, the boy who takes care of business, after the deed is done? So many story ideas. Maybe I will write that book next. I’m currently working on another paranormal and another funny contemporary romance but no release dates I can share yet. Will keep you posted as soon as I can spill the beans.


What is one tip you would give teens who would like to write?

Writing is a talent that will erode over time if you don’t exercise it. Write every day. Break things down into manageable pieces so writing daily doesn’t seem overwhelming. Start a blog. Observe life and write posts on your musings. What’s your take on subjects? A writer writes. Always. Without fail. Write what you love, hone your craft and someday your books will be in my To Be Read pile.


Anything else you’d like to say to our Books, Boys, Buzz readers?

Yeah! For the entire month of June I’m giving it away for free (it’s the only time momma would approve). Sign up for my newsletter and you could win a book a day, every day. All month long.

All this week you can win Books, Boys, Buzz author’s books with a big basket giveaway of their backlist on Saturday, June 20, 2009. Don’t be shy. You know you want to. http://www.serenarobar.com/

Thanks again to Serena for the interview and her generous giveaways! Right here on the Buzz Blog you can win a copy of Serena's new book just by answering this question:

Have you ever had an awkward moment where your parent(s) tried to explain the birds and the bees to you?

Hugs,

Heather

http://www.heatherdavisbooks.com/

Never Cry Werewolf - HarperTeen Sept '09

The Clearing - Harcourt Houghton Mifflin April '10

An interview with Lois Lowry

It is my great privilege and honor to have been able to interview the amazing Lois Lowry, a fellow Houghton Mifflin Harcourt author, about her amazing career, her characters, and her writing.



First, for those of you not familiar with Lois' books, I ask you..."where have you been?" Lois is famous for her Anastasia Krupnik series that started in 1979 and continues today with more Anastasia books, as well as a spinoff of her brother, Sam. She's also penned the ever-so-charming Gooney Bird series. Lois lives and writes in New England, where she makes her homes in Maine and Cambridge, Massachusetts.



Thanks to my fabulous publicity contact at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, I was able to snatch a few minutes of Lois' time to ask her some questions.

Marley: Thanks so much for joining us here at Books, Boys, Buzz, Lois! We appreciate your taking time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions for our readers. My first question in, you've been writing for many years now and have created some amazing characters with Anastasia and her brother Sam, the Gooney Birds, not to mention all of your single title books. What do you think it is about your writing...your storytelling...that resonates so well with readers that keeps them coming back for more?

Lois Lowry: I’m not sure I have a good answer to that. I think I’m pretty adept at getting into the head and heart of a character and writing through his/her sensibilities (I don’t mean, necessarily, writing in the first person, although that is true sometimes) and so the character, to the reader, seems real and believable---even when exaggerated, as Gooney Bird, for example. I think I’m good at assessing and choosing detail, and that I have a good sense of the fluency and flow of language. And I avoid like the plague trying to hook into any glib, contemporary vernacular. Most of these are subliminal things but they do affect a reader and a reader‘s reaction.

Marley: That's excellent. Can you tell our readers a little bit about your journey to publication? What was your original inspiration to start writing?

Lois Lowry: Nothing unusual here. I majored in writing and in literature in college. Writing had always been my goal. I married young, had children young, so I postponed professional writing until the kids were in school, then began working as a journalist and photographer. Fiction was always my first love but it was (probably still is) much harder to achieve publication of fiction. I did not plan to write for young people. But when a children’s book editor, having read some adult fiction I’d written, contacted me and asked my to consider writing a YA book...I took her up on it. That resulted in my first book for a young audience---A SUMMER TO DIE---(1977, still in print) and eventually, after other books, I realized I loved the young audience and their response. Gradually I shifted until I began doing kids’ books almost exclusively.



Marley: A SUMMER TO DIE is a phenomenal, timeless book. You write a lot about your own personal experiences, weaving in deep and believable emotions. How is it for you when you're writing such personal stories? How do you manage the emotions? How do you answer readers' questions when they're seeded in stories related to your own life?

Lois Lowry: I’ve always felt that the best way to write a story is as if you are writing a letter to a friend. The reader, actually, is a friend...just one you haven’t met in person. And so you tell that friend your story, and you tell it with the kind of affection, intimacy, and honesty that a friend deserves. It’s true that some of my fiction has arisen from my own experience. But I treat “real” fiction the same way---it, too, becomes a true story to me. I don’t “manage” emotions; I let them affect the telling. And I try to do so with honesty. Same with readers’ questions.

Marley: That's a beautiful way to view writing and your stories..."a letter to a friend." I'm sure that's helpful to any aspiring writers out there. Since you have literally your own library of titles, can you tell us which is the "book of your heart" or the one that stands out as your all time favorite and why?

Lois Lowry: I am particularly fond of one called THE SILENT BOY, which is set in the time of my own mother’s childhood, and in the town where she lived, and illustrated by old photographs—several of her as a child. It is not a “true” story, but it has all the elements that appeal to me: the visual element in the old photos, the nostalgia and the carefully-chosen details, quite a complex plot, characters with heartbreaking problems, and some deeply felt themes.



Marley: I can see how that would be a favorite for you. A lot of our readers are fellow writers and/or aspiring writers. Let's ask a question for them like what is your writing "ritual?" Do you play music? Seclude yourself? Go to Starbucks or tuck away in a nook in your home?

Lois Lowry: I have two houses, and I have an office in each house. In summer, I am in Maine, which is much more isolated, so with fewer distractions, and I am able to work better and more productively there where it is quiet and undisturbed. But the rest of the year, in my “real” house, I also work each day, sit at my desk for many hours. Few rituals. No music. No Starbucks. But I do read poetry frequently. It reminds me, lures me back into, the cadence and flow of lyrical language.

Marley: I'm jealous of your getaway in Maine! My getaway is putting on my headphones during my lunch break so I can block out everything else. LOL!! So what can we look forward to in the future from the amazing pen of Lois Lowry?

Lois Lowry: I have a picture book, CROW CALL, coming out in the fall, gorgeously illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. In spring, 2010, a light-hearted playful novel called THE BIRTHDAY BALL, with black-and-white illustrations by my friend Jules Feiffer. A lot of other stuff, including a new Gooney Bird, in the works, but I don’t like talking about things in progress. Superstition, maybe.



Marley: LOL! I certainly understand that! And we appreciate the preview of the books you can talk about. I'm sure our readers here will run out and get them as soon as they hit the shelves. I want to thank you sooooooooo much for hanging out here with us at Books, Boys, Buzz. We all love your books and you're an inspiration to us in our own writing. We wish you much continued success!! Thanks again!

For more information about Lois and her books, please visit her website at http://www.louislowry.com/

Thanks again to Lois! If you'd like to win a copy of your favorite Lois Lowry book, please leave a comment in the comment section and let us know what you think of Lois' interview. You may comment/enter as many times as you'd like.

Hugs,
Marley = )

GHOST HUNTRESS: THE AWAKENING (Available Now! Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
GHOST HUNTRESS: THE GUIDANCE (Coming September 2009, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
GHOST HUNTRESS: THE REASON (Coming May 2010, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
THE OTHER SIDE: A TEEN'S GUIDE TO GHOST HUNTING AND THE PARANORMAL
(Coming September 2009, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
CHRISTMAS MIRACLES (Coming October 2009, St. Martin's Press)
SORORITY 101: Zeta or Omega? (Available from Puffin Books)
SORORITY 101: The New Sisters (Available from Puffin Books)

Introducing John Green

When we Buzz Girls decided to do this very special interview week, my first thought was, "John Green!" Some bees might remember John from my Geeky Cute AuthorBoyz post of last year. (He was #1, by the way.) Since I have a huge author crush on him and my editor was the assistant on his first two books, I thought I would take advantage of this opportunity to get to know him a little better.

Before we get into the interview, here's some background on John. His first book, Looking for Alaska, won the Michael J. Printz Award (mega-prestigious) along with a bunch of other accolades. Then came An Abundance of Katherines, a Printz honor book and Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year. Now, his latest, Paper Towns, is following in those well-awarded footsteps by winning the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award for YA lit. Pretty awesome credentials, huh?

Well, on top of all that, John has a huge online following (the Nerdfighters) that began with Brotherhood 2.0, a vlog between John and his brother Hank. Their cleverness and hilarity earned them legions of fans that quickly followed them to the Nerfighters Ning--and made Paper Towns an instant bestseller.

The very best part is that John is genuinely nice, answered all of my questions with his characteristic wit (and uncharacteristic speed), and has proven himself entirely worthy of my author crush.

Now, without further explanation or gushing, John Green.

1. The obligatory author question: What's your process? Do you begin with a premise or a situation or a character? How do you proceed from there?

I begin with characters, although saying that maybe creates the expectation that I sit down and start writing with these wholly formed characters in my mind, which isn't the case. I start with characters, but in the process of writing the first draft, try to understand the people in the book and their stories better. Then I delete most of that first draft in revision. Most of the real writing of my books is done in revision.

2. The other obligatory author question: Describe your workplace. Do you write at home or out in the world? On the computer, longhand, in crayon, or by other means? What do you drink/eat/listen to while writing?

I write on a computer, and I have written on a computer since I was eight and my dad got us an Apple IIe. In a lot of ways, my books are collaborations between the computer and me. (I assume this is true for many writers, but my writing process is so intertwined with the architecture of word processing software--the cutting and pasting and scrolling and searching and replacing--that I literally don't know how to do it any other way.)

Physical location is less significant to me--I often write in various rooms of my house, but sometimes go to coffee shops or write in hotel rooms or airports or wherever I find myself. I don't listen to music while writing, except occasionally.

3. You collect famous last words (and used them in your debut, Printz-and-billions-of-others-award-winning novel, Looking For Alaska). Have any new ones or favorites you'd like to share? Or, if you could pre-script your own last words right now, what would they be?

If I could prescript my last words, I would tell my wife I love her. Hardly memorable, but that's what I'd say. Most of my favorite last words didn't make their way into the book, actually, because I didn't want to overwhelm the novel with last words and make it feel all schticky. The best last words I've come across are those of Emily Dickinson: I must go in. The fog is rising.

4. For An Abundance of Katherines, you had to do some serious, brain-bending, math-related research. What's the most outrageous/hardest/craziest thing you've done in the name of research?

Well, the vast majority of my research involves typing things into a computer. I know that there's no substitute for "being there," but there's also no substitute for detailed satellite maps with topographical overlays. (So, for instance, I had to figure out how to break into Sea World for Paper Towns. It is easy enough just to break into Sea World--I'm not going to comment on whether I did that--but just breaking into Sea World does not give you an actual sense of HOW it happened, only that it happened.) I go to the places I write about, and spend a lot of time there, but other than that, yeah, all my research is inside the Internet. (Yet another way my books would be impossible without computers.)

5. You are single-handedly responsible for the resurrection of the word awesome. Why awesome? Why not rad, amped, killer, or some other slang term from our generation?

I don't even know, and I partially regret it. I've always liked taking a word and playing around with its tense or usage--adjectiving nouns or verbing adjectives or whatever. Awesome was ruined long, long before I got to it--here is this word that manages to capture both the fascination and the terror we feel when we encounter something radically other, the feeling we have when we're on our knees and praying in hope *and* praise *and* fear *and* gratitude. Here is this amazing word, and now we use it to describe...a skateboarding trick. Ideally, we should have let awesome go the way of rad, so that it might one day be returned to its original splendor, but the problem is that for me at least the word still retains the tiniest vestige of its former greatness, and so I just like it.

So when my brother and I started making videoblogs, we used the word a lot because we liked it, and then we started using it as a noun because we both like to play around with usage, and then it just kind of took off with our viewers.

6. If you were in high school today, what fictional character(s) would you want to take to prom and/or eat lunch with?

Huck Finn.

7. If you could require every teen in the country to read three books before graduation, what would they be and why?

My answers are involve the dreaded classics, I'm afraid: The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, because it's beautifully written and discusses all the most important things. The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger, because more than any other book I've read, it gets to the murderous isolation that accompanies every adolescence. And The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, because love is never any better than the lover.

8. Define irony. (Seriously. I was a theatre major. I'm still trying to figure it out.)

I've always just gone with the definition Ethan Hawke's character uses in the film Reality Bites: Irony is when the actual meaning is the complete opposite from the literal meaning.

9. First there was the blog, then the vlog, and now Twitter and the Ning. Your online presence has been a major contributor to your success--that and phenomenal writing talent, of course. Is that "work" for you, or fun? Do you ever worry that it takes time away from the writing? What's the next big thing in online networking?

I think Twitter is the next big thing in online networking, but it's important to remember that nothing lasts forever in this brave new world. We're always cycling through technologies, because the next one will give us the feeling of interconnectedness we want (which of course the next one never quite does).

I think to be totally honest that my online presence has done more to get my books out to their audience than any talent I might have as a writer. My job is to write the best books I possibly can, but I also want people to read and like those books. So certainly the online work is very much part of my job. Vlogging and blogging are fun a lot of the time, but so is writing. (Working at Steak 'n Shake was also often fun, but it was still work.)

As for whether it takes time away from my writing: I'm sure it does. But I've always had work other than writing--whether it was a day job or Internet-based stuff, so I don't see it as a problem.

10. What can gushing fangirls and nerdfighters everywhere expect from you next? (In the literary sense, not the general, what-I'm-having-for-lunch-tomorrow sense.)

I've got a new book coming out in April of next year that I cowrote with my friend David Levithan called WILL GRAYSON WILL GRAYSON. So look out for that! And of course between now and then, many vlogs and blogs and tweets and status updates.

Oh, I think we'll all be following closely.

Now for the free stuff! I'm giving away a collection of John's books (Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, and Paper Towns). Comment below with your answer to Question 6: What fictional character(s) would you want to take to prom and/or eat lunch with? (I'm feeling generous, so I won't outlaw Edward Cullen as a possible answer.)

Hugs,
TLC

OH. MY. GODS. (now in paperback!)
GODDESS BOOT CAMP (out now!)

Welcome, Catherine Ryan Hyde!

I am very pleased to introduce Catherine Ryan Hyde to our Buzz Girl Readers!

I first became acquainted with her through her book,
PAY IT FORWARD, which I read some years ago. If the title sounds familiar--and you’re not sure you've read the book--it’s maybe because you saw the movie version starring Helen Hunt, Kevin Spacey and Haley Joel Osment.


In either case, the theme of the story is as unusual as it is inspiring. It’s about repaying good deeds forward--with the new good deeds delivered to new people. And ever since becoming acquainted with this concept, I can say that whenever I’ve been the recipient of a random act of kindness, I have paid it forward. This is one story that stuck with me.

So let's start there, talking about PAY IT FORWARD.

Tina: I read the idea for PAY IT FORWARD came from your own personal life. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Catherine: Well, this is not the answer you're expecting, but...no. Actually. I can't. You see, it was the constant retelling of that story that drove me to complete burnout. I no longer speak on behalf of the Pay It Forward concept because, after more than nine years of telling the same stories and answering the same questions, I just hit a wall. But I understand people's curiosity, and I know they still want to know (and, as many times as I've told the story, there are those who still haven't heard it). So here's what I did. I edited down a nice little 5- or 6-minute film of me telling the story. Anyone can view it on my website. Here is the link and there are a couple other Pay-It-Forward related videos out there that people might like.

Tina: You're right, I didn’t expect that answer, but I sure liked it! Now, did you have anything to do with the film, work on the screenplay, get to go to the set?

Catherine: I'm lucky they let me READ the screenplay. I actually got a copy direct from the screenwriter, Leslie Dixon. Because she took a liking to me for some crazy reason. Nowhere in the contract does it say I even get to read it.

I did get to go to the set one day. A bit late in the filming, when it was clear that I was one of those authors who "gets it." You know. That I knew I wasn't coming to the set as a consultant or anything. But one of the producers asked me if I wanted to visit for a day and meet Kevin Spacey. Uh. (Duh.) Yeah.

Tina: Okay, now at the risk of sounding like a total rock-and-roll fangirl, Jon Bon Jovi was in the movie, too. Did you get to meet him?

Catherine: I did meet him. He was wearing a tooled leather belt with the name Ricky (his character) carved into it. It was one of those weird moments when the story I'd created seemed to have come to life in a way I could barely comprehend. Years later, I think about 2006, I got an email from my Doubleday publisher, and she said Jon Bon Jovi had been in her office (I think she was going to publish his autobiography at that time) and that my name had come up. I guess he'd said he admired my work. Of course, I was completely blown away. “Oh, yeah, Jon Bon Jovi and I were just talking about you the other day.” Sure, that's my life. Not.

Tina: Jumping ahead to your YA latest novel, THE DAY I KILLED JAMES. What we can expect from your characters?

Catherine: Theresa is an eighteen-year-old girl who blames herself for the suicide of a young man who loved her. She didn't hurt him with malice aforethought, but she did hurt him. On the same night he drove his motorcycle off a cliff. So you can expect her to wither under the burden of her own crushing guilt. And to run away from everything she thinks of as comprising herself. And to try never to let anybody close enough to get hurt again. But since she's one of my characters, you can expect her to climb her way out of that self-made prison (one of my characters in one of my unpublished novels once remarked that a prison is a prison regardless of its builder). She does this with the help of an 11-year-old girl who sticks to her like a piece of gum on the bottom of her shoe, but who ultimately helps her turn around them both around.

Tina: What's up next? Do you have another project in the works?

Catherine: I always have another project in the works. Except when I have two or three.

This summer Knopf will release my next YA book, Diary of a Witness. It's slightly different, in that it involves two teenage boy characters. Our protagonist, Ernie, (who is more than 100 pounds overweight) is an outcast, and so is his best (and only) friend Will. But Ernie has a mom who, though a bit hysterical, loves him. He also has his Uncle Max as a leveling figure. But Will's home life is falling apart and so is he, and he is about to take matters into his own hands regarding the popular jocks who torment them daily. And poor Ernie may be the only one who can prevent disaster.

I also have a new adult novel that is not yet under contract here in the US, but which is soon to be released by Transworld, my UK publisher (things are actually much better for my career over there). I hope that I will soon be able to say it has a US publisher as well.

And I'm very pleased to announce my newest forthcoming YA, Jumpstart the World, about a teenage girl who falls in love with her older next door neighbor before realizing he is transgender (female to male in transition). It's tentatively slated for Fall 2010 from Knopf.

I have another new YA on my editor's desk right now, waiting to be read. But it's too early to spill the beans about that.

Tina: Wonderful! Last up, I want to mention that one of our Buzz Girls, Marley Gibson, just took up scuba diving at the age of 42. I know you’re an avid kayaker. Is this something you’ve done most of your life or something you picked up as an adult?

Catherine: As a matter of fact, yes, I picked it up as an adult. I began kayaking in '04. And I began aggressive peak hiking in about '02. When I was young I pretty much failed gym. So you really can come from behind. It's never too late unless you decide it is and believe it.

Tina: I couldn’t agree more!

Thanks to the fascinating Catherine Ryan Hyde for visiting with us today, and I recommend all our readers check out her books! In fact, one lucky commenter will be randomly chosen to receive a signed first edition of PAY IT FORWARD, so leave a comment to be entered!

Winners of all our week's giveaways will be posted at week's end!

Tina

How to Hook a Hottie, 2009 Rita Finalist
The ABC's of Kissing Boys
Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress
www.tinaferraro.com

WINNERS!!! and Something Very Exciting

Thank you so much to everyone who entered the contests all week long. Here's the list of winners (in Monday through Saturday order, so there's no confusion):

Hillary
Liyana
Kate Sutton
What a Girl Reads
RagDollVampGirl
Breanna

Please contact me via email (tlc@teralynnchilds.com) with your mailing info. Congrats!

And now, it is my exceptional pleasure to give you the details on one of the coolest things we've ever done here on the Buzz Blog. For almost three years(!) you've tuned in to read about us Buzz Girls and our books and some of our happy/sad/wacky/inspiring/terrifying experiences. Well, this week we're changing it up. This week we're going to introduce you to some other authors.

Over the next few days, each Buzz Girl will be posting an interview they conducted with an author they admire, but whom they might not know very well. Let me tell you, Buzzies, we've got some big fish lined up for your enjoyment. (I'm not spilling the beans, but let me just say that my interviewee is made of awesome!)

Plus, not only will you get to read about these amazing authors, but you'll also get a chance to win one or more of their books! (Yay, free books!)

So, be sure to check back every day, because this is one week you will not want to miss!

Hugs,
TLC

OH. MY. GODS. (now in paperback!)
GODDESS BOOT CAMP (out now!)
teralynnchilds.com

Happy Saturday friends!

This week we're celebrating the launch of Tera Lynn Childs' second novel GODDESS BOOTCAMP! I know you want to win your VERY OWN copy, so stay tuned as to how to win!

Here is the AMAZING cover to taunt your tastebuds a bit!


I really really wanted to go to camp as a kid. I read the Babysitters Club Summer Vacation SUPER special and I was bound and determined to go to a camp, live in cabins, make lanyards (even though I didn't know what those were) and get a makeover. I re-read this book at least 10 times and begged and pleaded with my parents to send me.

Did not happen. My parents were too paranoid to send me away somewhere, so they agreed on the next best thing: Day Camp!

I got to attend a really fun artsy day camp near my house for the entire summer. We got to pick things to "specialize" in. I picked one thing I was good at and two I was not:

LITERATURE! (I was good at this one).

That summer I read books that would go on to be some of my favorites:

The Witch of Blackbird Pond - amazing book about prejudice, fear, friendship and loyalty.

To Kill a Mockingbird - enough said!

The second thing I specialized in was, wait for it....DRAMA!

Yikes! What had I gotten myself into?

I'd never been on stage before much less in a play! When too many people look at me, I start to shake!

It all turned out fine though and I got to be an African Princess and wear a headdress and have no lines....NICE!

The third thing I picked was....ADVERTISING! (This was a pretty advanced camp for 10 year olds, I now realize). I learned all about how to market products and understand audiences. My product was tinted lip gloss and I got to put together a fun skit for my campaign.

It was all fine and dandy until the very last day of day camp. A boy whose name I just can't remember asked for my phone number. Mind you, this had never happened before. My response?

Me: "Why?

Him: "So I can call you."

Me: "Why would you do that?"

Him: "To talk."

Me: "Oh. Well, okay, but you'll have to talk to my mother too."

He quickly lost interest in my phone number after that! So that's my camp experience! Has anyone had a "camp" romance they would want to share? How about books or movies about camp that you like? Leave a comment and you will be entered to win a copy of GODDESS BOOTCAMP!

Happy release week TLC!!!

---------------------------------------

Dona Sarkar-Mishra

http://donasarkarmishra.com

Goddess Bootcamp Release Week continues!

I'm so excited about the release of Tera's latest book, GODDESS BOOTCAMP. I just know that copies are flying off shelves as I type this.

So as you more dedicated buzzlings already know, I messed up and wrote about my horrendous summer camp experience a few weeks ago. Oops! So I'm doing something a little different...

A few weeks ago I was watching the MTV Movie Awards. Of course, TWILIGHT swept up practically all the awards. No big surprise there. What was surprising was how many times Stephenie Meyer's name was mentioned. There are so many times when the writers get no recognition at all. So how uberly cool would it have been to hear celebrities say your name? But as great as Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are, there are probably a few people in the world who don't know who they are. How cool would it be to see one of the most famous faces in the world holding your book?


Yes, TLC, that's your new release. I thought I might have to ruffle a few of Donald's feathers to get it back!

What celebrity would you choose to acknowledge you on an awards show? Leave a comment to be qualified to win a copy of GODDESS BOOTCAMP.

Xo,
Stephanie
www.stephaniehale.com

Hooray for Tera!!!

This week we’re celebrating the launch of buzz girl Tera Lynn Child’s Goddess Boot Camp. Each day we’ll give away a copy of the book – so be sure to comment after you read each post. Winners will be announced this weekend.

Ah, the glories of summer camp. I can only tell you that it was not the most fun experience for me. My parents often packed me (one of four kids) off to Camp Burton, which was only a ferry ride away from Seattle but might as well have been on another planet.

Some highlights for you:

Scene One: Our heroine, Heather, arrives – a scrawny sixth grader with major geeky clothes, headgear and horrific haircut by my grandmother’s beauty operator, Ruby. Immediately, the older campers (9th graders) in the cabin comment on hair style, clothes, lack of bust development, and say, “it’s good you wear eyeshadow because we’d never have known you were a girl.” Ugh. I want to hit them, but it’s church camp and I’m a lover, not fighter, so I just avoid them after that.

Cut to –

Scene Two: Couple of days later, after sitting next to me at campfire one time, an geeky boy named Jim thinks he is my boyfriend. He is short (sorry) has Coke bottle glasses and a haircut that resembles floppy ears of a Cocker Spaniel. I keep telling him, he is not my boyfriend. Jim thinks this is just me being playful. He follows me. Everywhere.

Scene Three: Jim and I “break up” in front of many, many people. It’s the only way I can get him to stop following me. More geeky hilarity ensues. You get the idea.

Anyway, I ended up writing a summer camp into my debut, Never Cry Werewolf, and that was a great way to dredge up those treasured memories.

Did a boy ever crush on you at summer camp? What did you do? Did it end better than my ill-fated romance at Camp Burton?

Hugs,


Heather
http://www.heatherdavisbooks.com/

Never Cry Werewolf ~ Sept. 2009 HarperTeen
The Clearing ~ April 2010 HMH

Summer Camp with a Twist

What an exciting week we're having here celebrating Tera Lynn Childs’ second book Goddess Book Camp with a daily book giveaway! Thanks for hanging out with us and huge congrats to TLC!!

I have to admit that I allllllllways wanted to go off for summer camp to some lake with cabins and (sorry Tina) outdoor bathroom facilities. I wanted to make a bird cage out of popcicle sticks and a bird feeder from pine cones - all the things that Girl Scouts engrained in me. Alas, it was not to be. My parents, God love them, didn't feel good about sending me off into the "wilderness" and so my time at a dream camp never happened.



However, I did get to go to a summer camp with a twist...

I went three years in a row to summer music camp at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. First off, if you know me, you know I went to The University of Alabama and Auburn is our arch rival...so for me to step foot on this campus, let alone live, eat, and sleep there for a week, was an act of faith. LOL!



Music camp was a blast though...but it wasn't fun and games. This was for people who were serious about their art. There were two tracks: choral and band. For those of us who really lived on the edge, you could do both tracks. I did choral only my first two years and both tracks my third year, which was mega hard work.



In choral, we had to have a singing try out to be placed in the proper voice group. I was a soprano for two years and an alto my third year. Inside choral, it was broken into subgroups: formal chorus, accapella, and show choir. I, of course, did all three. Formal chorus consisted of singing arias and opera-type stuff. Accapella is singing without musical instruments accompanying. The secret to that is staying on key. Let me tell you, it sounds easier than it is. And, show choir is performing dances while singing popular songs or ones from Broadway shows. One year, we did a tribute to Barry Manilow. To this day, I still can't hear "Daybreak" without running through the dance steps and hand motions in my head.



Band was a bit more challenging. You had to try out for a "seat" with whatever instrument you played. I played cornet - or a smaller trumpet for those of you not familiar. I nabbed a second chair seat, which was pretty cool, considering how many trumpeters there were in the camp. Practice was long and hard, but our concert totally rocked.



By the end of the week, I needed another week of vacation just to recuperate! But it was an amazing experiences and I met a lot of wonderful people along the way. The "camping" part was spent in dorm rooms on the campus and eating in the cafeteria. It really got me excited about college life to be with so many people from so many different places all after the same purpose.

I wish I could post some of the pics that I have from those days, but sadly...no scanner in my abode anymore. You'll just have to imaging...LOL!!

Did you ever experience a different type of summer camp? If so, what was it? What was your experience? Leave your comment in the trail to be entered to win a copy of Tera's book! Feel free to enter as many times as you'd like!

Hugs,
Marley = )

Summer Madness!

We are celebrating the release of Tera Lynn Childs’ second book this week,
Goddess Book Camp with one giveaway a day, as well as chat about summer camps. Yay!

I only went to summer camp once. (Once being quite enough.) But let’s start a little further back, in the spring of 5th grade. A girl from school asked me if I’d like to attend the two-week session with her. An avid reader, I was intrigued by all the books I’d read about camp, but as a dyed-in-the-wool comfort creature, I WAS a little worried about the big outdoors and bugs and stuff. She pointed out that you could sign up to bunk with a friend, and that she’d been to camp before and would get me through.

That worked.

Until we got there and found out there were TWO girls were her exact name, and I was linked to the other. Wah! And that other wasn’t looking for friends at all...so suddenly, I was out there in the wilderness, all alone.

Just me and my vivid imagination.

I kept my chin from quivering that first afternoon, but when the counselors called my group over to the latrine, I am pretty sure I took off to my Crazy Place. See, they not only explained that we had to “do our business” in an COMMUNAL HOLE that had smells and sights and sounds (okay, maybe the last two were only in my head), but each one of us was responsible for cleaning up the area afterwards with a toilet brush. And they'd somehow know if you didn't.

Here’s the kicker: they said that anyone who dropped the brush IN the hole had to go in after it.


Okay, I’m 11. I’m alone. I’m neurotic. (I’m Tina.) I believed them.

It’s possible I didn’t go to the bathroom the entire four days I stayed at the camp. (My mother picked me up for a swim meet that my coach needed me for, and I refused to go back.)

And to this day, I kid you not, I freak out at the idea of using a PortaPotty, latrine--anything but a regular toilet. It goes past rhyme and reason and back to the counselors who are probably still snickering about tormenting the new girls...

Hmmm...I might have to put some of this in a book someday.

In the meantime, YOU can be entered to win a copy of Tera’s newest book just by leaving a comment for me here. Tell me your thoughts about summer camp, counselors, PortaPotties, latrines...any offshoot you can find from this blog.

Good luck, and the winner to be announced on Sunday.

Tina

How to Hook a Hottie, 2009 Rita Finalist
The ABC's of Kissing Boys
Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress
www.tinaferraro.com

Welcome to Goddess Boot Camp

It's here, it's here! It's finally here!!! GODDESS BOOT CAMP, the long awaited (by me, anyway) sequel to OH. MY. GODS. is hitting bookstores later this week!


In true BuzzGirl tradition, we're doing a release week special here on the blog, and this week's theme is SUMMER CAMP! (And, no, Steph did not know this when she stole my thunder two weeks ago.) Not only will the BBGs be dishing on their own personal summer camp experiences, but you will have a chance to win your very own autographed copy of GODDESS BOOT CAMP every single day!

Now, let's start dishing....

When I was little, I dreamed of going away to a wilderness camp, like the one Hayley Mills (and Lindsay Lohan) went to in The Parent Trap. Everything about it--the friendships, the activities, the personal growth--sounded like bliss to me. Only I never went to wilderness camp. Instead, I spent more summers than I care to remember in ... basketball camp.

From the summer before my junior year. That's me on the far right.

Once a summer my parents would drive me to Bloomington, Indiana, to attend the Indiana University Girls' Basketball Camp. Instead of the smell of campfire, I had the smell of a sweaty gym. Instead of long hikes in the woods, I had the long walk down the hill to the field house (and then back up at lunch time and at the end of the day). Instead of the cabin-against-cabin prank war, I had a cutthroat, single-elimination basketball tournament. Instead of canoeing across a pristine lake, I had sprints up and down the court.

Because Pheobe, the main character in OMG and GBC, is a cross-country fiend, readers often ask me if I'm a runner, too. When I get done laughing I tell them, "No, I hate running." But whenever I had to put myself into Phoebe's running shoes, to feel what she felt at the end of a multi-mile run, I just take myself back to those painful weeks of basketball camp.

Okay, now for the good stuff—your first chance to win a copy of GODDESS BOOT CAMP! Here's the question you need to answer:

If you had to write about a character going through a physically grueling activity, what personal experience would you draw on to make it seem real? (In other words, what's the physically hardest thing you've ever done in your life?)

Good luck! All the week's winners will be announced on Sunday, so be sure to check back.

Hugs,
TLC

OH. MY. GODS. (now in paperback!)
GODDESS BOOT CAMP (out this week!)
teralynnchilds.com

Things that make me smile

LOLCats...

Men Jokes....

9 Things You'll Never Hear a Man Say

1. Here honey, you use the remote.


2. You know, I'd like to see her again, but her breasts are just too big.


3. Ooh, Clive Owen AND Brad Pitt? That's one movie I gotta see!


4. While I'm up, can I get you anything?


5. Honey since we don't have anything else planned, will you go to the housewares store with me?


6. Why don't you go to the mall with me and help me pick out a pair of shoes?


7. Aww, forget Monday night football, let's watch Gossip Girl.


8. Hey let me hold your purse while you try that on.


9. We never talk anymore

Bumper Stickers...

EARTH FIRST! We'll stripmine the other planets later.

Hard work has a future payoff. Laziness pays off now.

Where there's a will, I want to be in it.

I started out with nothing & still have most of it left.

What silly thing makes you smile?

---------------------

Dona Sarkar-Mishra

http://donasarkarmishra.com

What is your favorite summer treat?

I longed for summer temperatures all winter but it doesn't take many days of 80+ degrees for me to break out the refreshing treats. My boys eat lots of popsicles. Lots of times I trick them by blending fruit, yogurt, and ice then freezing it into popsicles. They really think they are getting away with something when I let them eat a "popsicle" for breakfast.

My favorite summer treat is shaved ice. Or is it shave ice? I could never figure that one out. My favorite flavor combo is coconut (which I hate the real thing), blueberry, and pineapple. It smells like suntan oil and tastes delicious.


Are you a shave ice junkie? What's your favorite flavor? Do you have another favorite way to cool off?
xo,
Stephanie
www.stephaniehale.com

Summer Fun!

Aren't you just ready for summer? I had a small taste of it last month when I was in Hawaii for vacy, and now that higher temperatures have hit the Pacific Northwest, there is no stopping my quest for fun and sunshine!

I already posted some pictures of Pearl Harbor for you on Memorial Day Weekend, but here are a couple of early summer sights that we also enjoyed there.

Above is the view looking out at Kailua Beach, one of the best beaches on Oahu. The water there is really clear and at its neighbor beach, Lanikai, you can do some great snorkeling. I think Marley could find some SCUBA diving there, too.

Here's an amazing waterfall that I hiked to near Kailua. The hike was an hour straight up, but the swimming hole was a great reward for all the effort. And, it was also really cool hiking through fragrant woodland/jungles of native plants. I literally stopped on a red clay ridge to smell the perfume on the warm breeze.

I think that I'll have to return to that amazing island, but more than that, I think I'll go there in my mind whenever I need to visualize relaxation. So, yay, summer! It's here in force and couldn't be more welcome. All around town, people are coming out like blinking moles, donning shorts, and slathering themselves with sunscreen.

Has summer hit your part of the country yet?

And a second question -- what's on your summer reading list? I've got Jellicoe Road and The Sweet Far Thing in the cue. How about you?

Hugs,

Heather

http://www.heatherdavisbooks.com/

NEVER CRY WEREWOLF - HarperTeen Sept. '09

THE CLEARING - HMH Graphia April '10

Wednesday Ramblings and Randomness

I didn't really have anything specific to post about today, so I thought I would just throw some randomness up and out there for our readers.

First off...I bought a new car on Sunday! I was going to get something used, but when the used car prices were only a couple thousand less than new, well...I didn't need to be convinced. I got a great deal on a 2009 Honda Fit. It's the cutest thing...EVAH! Check it out:



And yes, I got the blue one! A friend of mine told me it looks like a bullet, but I think it's adorable. We've named it "Conniption." LOL!!

Secondly...who's seen the trailer for NEW MOON (Twilight saga) that opens on November 20th? I have! I have! And if you haven't...you can too, right here. Check it out!



WOW! I can't wait!

Lastly, SCUBA lessons are a blast...and hard work. I never realized how much equipment was involved! And how heavy it is! Holy cow! We strapped the regulator tanks on last night and it's so amazing to be able to breath underwater. Check me out!!



So...what are your ramblings and randomness for this Wednesday? Share them with us!

Hugs,
Marley = )

GHOST HUNTRESS: THE AWAKENING (Available Now! Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
GHOST HUNTRESS: THE GUIDANCE (Coming September 2009, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
GHOST HUNTRESS: THE REASON (Coming May 2010, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
THE OTHER SIDE: A TEEN'S GUIDE TO GHOST HUNTING AND THE PARANORMAL
(Coming September 2009, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
CHRISTMAS MIRACLES (Coming October 2009, St. Martin's Press)
SORORITY 101: Zeta or Omega? (Available from Puffin Books)
SORORITY 101: The New Sisters (Available from Puffin Books)

The Great American Road Trip

Back in the day of un-affordable air travel, my parents and I used to road trip across the country at least once a year. Usually it was to visit some relatives somewhere (like when we lived in Montreal and my dad's family lived in southern California). I can't count how many hours I spent in the backseat of one car or another, begging my parents to play the license plate game or Amboy or Animal Poker. I slept a lot, too, because my parents always said that made the trip go faster.

Here's a shot from the driver's seat of my old blazer on one of our cross-country moves.

But, since airfares came into the non-astronomical range, most of our regular travels (outside of moving, of course) are of the airborne variety. Until now....

This weekend I'm flying up to Oklahoma City to visit my parents on their 43rd(!) anniversary and to see the opening of my dad's new show (The Full Monty). Then, then next day, we're driving(!!!) their car and a rented van all the way to Las Vegas. That's a 14+ hour drive, folks, across some of the--shall we say--less than majestic regions of the country. It's going to be hot and long and very, very flat.

Do you have any good time-passing advice/activities/suggestions to make the long drive seem less ... endless?

Hugs,
TLC

OH. MY. GODS. (now in paperback!)
GODDESS BOOT CAMP (coming next week!)
teralynnchilds.com

Barefootin’

Let’s go back a bunch of years and remember our favorite Joanie Bartels’ song. What--I’m the only one who HAS one? Nah. Anyway, I have to say I enjoyed her rendition of Barefootin’. And to this day will break into song when properly provoked!

So I don’t know why the following scenario came as such a surprise to me, but last week, I was grabbing the newspaper from the driveway and saying hello to a neighbor walking her dog. Same old, same old, until she asked why my feet never got cold.

It took a few moments to realize that:

a) she wasn’t asking IF but WHY;
b) they weren’t at all cold, I mean, yeah, the pavement was, but who cared;

and

c) I guess I always walk outside first thing in the morning barefoot.

Which, once inside, led to the realization that:

a) I always take off my shoes the moment I get home;

and

b) I only put them back on when I am leaving the neighborhood.

Which I then concluded maybe isn’t entirely normal? Especially since:

a) I hate the look of my feet so it would stand to reason that I’d want to keep them hidden;

and

b) I also hate (HATE) getting splinters and rocks in my feet which hurt and slow me down.

So what’s with a life of barefootin’? All I can say is that going shoe-less feels like freedom to me. It’s luxury, it’s making my own choices, it’s being slightly rebellious within the realm of socially acceptable.

Which I guess is me.

So tell us, shoes on or off for you? And any fave Joanie Bartel songs?

Tina (who included a pic of her feet in a happy medium state--still breathin', but technically covered)

How to Hook a Hottie, 2009 Rita Finalist
The ABC's of Kissing Boys
Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress

www.tinaferraro.com