Robin Benway

Strange times are here...

Hey kids! Guess who just finished the first draft of her next book? Go ahead and guess...I'll wait.

YOU'RE RIGHT! IT'S ME!

Last night marks the first night in six months that I slept for more than five hours, which means that if you know me in real life, it's safe to talk to me again. (I can be a bit difficult when finishing a book. Don't judge.) But anyway, the book is done, at least until tomorrow, when the first round of edits start. Whee! This might be the first time that I'm actually excited to edit! Then again, it might just be the full night of sleep that's talking.

But I've noticed that a lot of you have discovered the paperback version of "Audrey, Wait!" Exciting times, right? Doesn't it look lovely on a shelf? Even my mom thinks so. She sent me the following email on Saturday:

"Borders in El Segundo. I might have mentioned I'm related to author..." And then she attached this picture.

Not gonna lie, it's pretty cool to have a mom who geeks out over my books.

So yes, the paperback is out, and so many of you are sending me cool questions! Keep 'em coming! I do my best to answer all of them, but don't worry if it takes me a bit to respond. Again, my edits are only 24 hours away, so I might be busy. If you have questions but feel a bit shy about writing, I've done some interviews that may answer your questions. I did one just a few weeks ago with the blog Exercise Your Mind, and you can always click the "Interview" tag to see older ones. Yay book bloggers!

That being said, a lot of you have asked if there's going to be a sequel to "Audrey" and I'm sorry to say that the answer is no. Don't get me wrong, though! I LOOOOOVE writing about Audrey & Victoria and the crew, but I feel like her story is done. Besides, she's too busy going to concerts to tell another story right now. :)

And in even more exciting news, I'm going to be at the LA Times Festival of Books this weekend. I'll be appearing on a panel with Lisa Yee, Lauren Myracle, Deb Caletti, and the super-amazing Cecil Castellucci will be moderating. Good times! It's free, but you'll need tickets, so click the link for more information. I'll also be doing a booth signing later that afternoon. Check it out.

LA TIMES FESTIVAL OF BOOKS

Saturday, April 25, 2009, 10:30am

UCLA Campus, Fowler Museum Lenart Auditorium

Panel: "Growing Up: Young Adult Fiction" (signing afterwards)

Robin Benway, Deb Caletti, Lauren Myracle, Lisa Yee

Moderator: Cecil Castellucci

Saturday, April 25, 2009, 1:30pm

Booth Signing at Penguin/Whale of a Tale

Booth #816

w/ Lauren Myracle

Okay, I think that's all of the info I can handle today. Tomorrow I'm going to try & post some foreign edition covers of "Audrey", which look incredible. For a sneak peek, though, check out the website for the French edition of "Audrey, entitled "Comment je suis devenue célèbre (malgré moi)"

Cool, non?

I can see where I am going to be...

Hi! Hi! Oh my gosh it's been so long HOW ARE YOU?

I myself have been manic and busy. It's spring, and you know what that means. Yep, I'm racing to finish another book! My deadline is less than a month away and the date is circled in bright red ink on the calendar in my brain. It's funny how myopic I get when I'm working on something. Here's a hint of what it looks like in my head:

writewritewriteCOFFEEwritewritewritewriteIHAVENOIDEAWHATI'MDOING

writewritewriteOHWAITIFIGUREDITOUTwritewritewritePANICwritewrite

writeOOHSHINYTHING!writewritewriteMORECOFFEEwritewritewrite

You can see why I'm a little manic right now. I wish I was one of those writers who could come up with an awesome outline and then sit down for three hours every day and calmly work their way through their amazing new book. I am so not that writer that it's ridiculous. Oh well, it's what makes the world turn.

Also, maybe you've already seen this, but the paperback version of "Audrey, Wait!" is about to be released next week! Can you believe it's been a year since my little book was published? Crazycakes. Anyway, here's the paperback cover, which should be gracing your bookshelves pretty soon.

I have to tell you, I really really love it. Audrey (who is actually a very nice model girl from New York) looks amazing and--pop-up trivia time--she's wearing my editor's skirt. Yeah, I don't know how that happened, but apparently it did. Oh, publishing, never change.

Forgive me if my posting is sporadic for the next few weeks, I'm doing my best to corral a bunch of imaginary people and tell their stories. In the meantime, if you'd like to be Twitter friends with me, I would love it! I tend to Twitter mostly about espresso and music and all my embarrassing life events, so, you know, you've been warned.

Okay, I'm going back to my big Word document o' doom, but before I do, here are some songs for you. One for morning and one for evening. (Did you really think I wasn't going to give you some music? Please. You know me better than that.)

Arcade Fire, "Wake Up" (from the "Where the Wild Things Are" trailer)

"Children wake up, hold your mistake up / Before they turn the summer into dust..."

Iron & Wine, "Lion's Mane"

"Love is a tired symphony you hum when you're awake..."

Have a lovely, lovely day.

The bang & the clatter as an angel hits the ground...

First post of 2009 and it feels...well, just like any old post from 2008, to be honest.  The only difference is that I'm sick today and hopped up on NyQuil, which means that I could fall asleep on my keyboard at any moment. If this blog entry becomes a keymash of letters and numbers, you'll know the meds have kicked in. I guess I should get to the point here.

So last October, my friend Sasha Watson had her book come out, and I have been completely remiss in mentioning it! It's called "Vidalia in Paris" and it's awesome, just like Sasha herself. Vidalia is an art student who goes to study in Paris for the summer, and she meets a mysterious art dealer named Marco. I can't say anymore because it'll ruin the plot, but definitely check it out.

I've also done a few interviews over the past several months. Little Willow asked me questions at her book blog, which I happily answered. If you love YA, or you want to learn more about it, check out her site. It's a veritable YA smorgasboard and features dozens of fantastic authors.

Also, over at Hipster Book Club, they asked me for my 5 favorites of 2008. Let me tell you something: it's STRESSFUL coming up with 5 favorites of anything! In fact, I was going to put together a list of my top 5 "Top 5" lists, but then I saw that Jay Asher did that last year. In the wise words of Homer Simpson, "D'oh!"

And I'm off to crawl back into bed. One of the few good things about being ill is that I have a lot of time to lie in bed and read and organize my music. In fact, I spent most of yesterday digitizing my mix tapes from high school. (Yeah, it's a 24/7 party around here.) Here's a song that my friend Anna-Lynne gave me while in junior year. The gift that keeps on giving.

U2, "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" (live in Dublin 1993)

"A vampire or a victim / It depends on who's around..."

No distance that can hold us back...

Hooooly Toledo, where does the time go?

It's the last day of 2008, peeps! Normally, I'm not a big "Yay, New Year's Eve!" person. I like some champagne, a noisemaker, and then my comfy bed, but since this year has been so ridiculously stellar, I figured I would make a top 10 list of my favorite things. Brace yourselves for some opinions.

THE 10 BEST THINGS IN MY 2008

FAVORITE YOUTUBE VIDEO

"Where the Hell is Matt?"

It's probably sort of cheesy, but I freaking LOVE this video. I watch it whenever I'm stressed or depressed or angry at the fact that my kitchen has no hot running water (a problem since resolved, but that was not a fun 3 months). Anyway, yes. This video. Good times.

FAVORITE IM CONVERSATION

Johanna's and my discussion about Prince & his mother.

Easily, hands down, the best. A close second was the one where Johanna went off on Gwyneth Paltrow for reasons that I still don't understand, but I'm saving that one for 2009. It's a doozy.

FAVORITE WEBSITE

The Sartorialist

Basically, it's a website run by a photographer, who takes pictures of people who look cool. I don't mean like manufactured cool. I mean the people who wear turquoise sweaters with orange scarves just to ride the F train into Manhattan, and they manage to look so awesome that it makes me want to go shopping. The best thing about this website, though, is that it makes me braver in how I dress. At least on the inside.

FAVORITE CONCERT

Sigur Rós at the Greek Theater, Hollywood

I saw a LOT of concerts and some of them were freaking amazing (Trent Reznor, I'm looking in your direction), but the Icelanders win the award this year. I've always been a fan, but as soon as they fired off the confetti cannons during "Gobbledigook" and made the whole audience clap along, I was officially a fanatic.

FAVORITE SONG

"Carolina Drama", The Raconteurs

I saw the Raconteurs at the Greek the week before Sigur Rós, and while they didn't play this song, it was still amazing. But this song. This song makes me want to track down Jack White and ask him, "How do you DO it?" Jack also gets bonus points because, during a show in Kansas City, he interrupted "Carolina Drama" to pull a fainting girl out of the audience. You see what this song can do to people?

FAVORITE ALBUM

Kings of Leon, "Only By the Night"

You can imagine what I went through trying to pick just one. I gnashed my teeth, pulled my hair, drank a lot of espresso, and finally came up with "Only By the Night". I've been a fan of the band ever since an ill-fated business trip to Phoenix (please, don't ask), and this album confirmed everything that I loved about their music. Best songs: "Sex on Fire", "Notion", and my second place choice for song of the year, "Use Somebody". Plus, check out some of band member Jared Followill's albums of the year in the NY Times. (This kid should write more music reviews.)

FAVORITE BOOK

"Crossing California", Adam Langer

Okay, so this wasn't released in 2008, but I read it in 2008, so that's why it counts. I was in a bookstore in Palm Desert, desperate for something addictive to read, so I texted my bookwormy friend Maret for suggestions. 3 seconds later, she texted me this title, thusly winning the prize for best recommendation of the year. The way the plots intertwine are amazing and I wish I could do what Adam Langer does, and Michelle Wasserstrom is one of those characters that you want to be your friend, if you weren't so afraid that she would kick your ass and make you look stupid. I heart both her and this book. 

FAVORITE TV SHOW

"30 Rock" & "Never Mind the Buzzcocks"

Why I love "30 Rock" in five words: "Graduate students are the worst."

As for "NMTB", UKers, you know what I'm talking about, but for those of you who haven't seen it, pop over to YouTube immediately. I lost a whole day to watching this show online, and I don't know how to explain it other than it made me laugh so hard that I cried. I realize, of course, that humor doesn't always translate, but if you're up for it, check out two of the best episodes here and here.

FAVORITE MOVIE MOMENT

Tunde Adebimpe, "Unknown Legend" (Neil Young cover)

I didn't expect to cry as much as I did in "Rachel Getting Married", but my two friends and I were all messes by the time it was over. I wouldn't say it's my favorite movie, but it has one of my favorite scenes of the year: the groom (played by Tunde Adebimpe, who's also in the band TV on the Radio) forgoes traditional vows and instead sings Neil Young's "Unknown Legend" to his bride. Please hand me a tissue.

FAVORITE PERSON OF THE YEAR

You. Hands down, you. If you read this website at all, if you read "Audrey, Wait!", if you loaned "Audrey" or borrowed it from a friend, then you are my favorite person. Thank you a million times over to everyone that supported me this year, especially those of you who sent me emails, who showed up to events just to say hello, who asked me how I became a writer or for writing advice. Your notes, comments, Facebook & Twitter hellos, and online and in-person friendships have meant the world to me, and there's no list that can ever show you my gratitude. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I hope you all have a wonderful New Year's Eve and Happy New Year!

Best,

Robin

All night long, I dream of the day

Oh joy, it's one of my favorite days.

VOTING DAY!

I just got back from waiting in line for an hour. An hour! In Santa Monica! The last time I waited in an actual line to vote was when Schwarzenegger ran for governor, which pretty much tells you everything you need to know about voting in LA County. And I love my polling place because they had doughnuts and coffee from Peet's! PEEEEEETS I love you.

I'm also glad I got voting out of the way early because I have many errands to run. Like, say, going to the Apple store to buy a new iPhone because last night, I accidentally dropped mine in the toilet at Whole Foods. Please. Just. Do. Not. Ask.

Anyhoo. Not sure where to vote today? Don't worry, Google's here to help you out. 

And after you vote, exercise your other right as an American citizen, which is basically to get as much free stuff as you can. Ben & Jerry's has free scoops from 5-8, Krispy Kreme is giving away star-shaped doughnuts (like I care about the shape of my doughnut, just give me the doughnut), and Starbucks has free tall coffees for ALL customers who request it. Didn't vote? You still get your coffee, you lucky bastard.

I'm hosting a little shindig tonight at my place to watch the polling results, which is nice because no matter how this election turns out, at least there will be champagne. And music, of course, always music.

Happy voting day!

Foo Fighters, "All My Life"

"Done, done, onto the next one!"

It's getting hard to be someone, but it all works out...

So. Did you all enjoy your September? Did you miss me? I hope so, because I missed you!

What have I been doing, anyway, rather than blogging for you lovely peeps? Well, Twittering of course, only because I have a sick love for mundane details, especially when they're my mundane details. I flirted with & then committed to being a vegetarian, which means I've been spending a lot of time staring at tofu and thinking, "What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" (Please send recipes, fellow vegetarians!) I went to a wedding in Wyoming, too, and proved I was a tourist by getting really excited about a deer sighting. (Apparently deers are the squirrels of Wyoming.)

Oh yeah. I've also been writing a new book.

It's funny to say it like that, only because to say I'm writing implies that I'm, y'know, writing, rather than procrastinating on writing. My awesome friend Dallas once asked me about my creative process and I listed it out in five easy steps:

1) Get a venti light espresso frappuccino at Starbucks.

2) Search for [insert current favorite band]'s concert clips on YouTube in the name of "research".

3) Realize that you're late for your manicure appointment.

4) Hate yourself for avoiding writing & doing steps 1-3 instead.

5) Grudgingly open Word document and force yourself to write 1000 words so you're not filled with self-loathing for the rest of the day. 

I'm joking (sort of)! The truth is that when I'm writing, I also have a lot of time to think, which led to some interesting thoughts after my brother & I discussed the question, "Can a song really change your life?"

I say yes. YES YES YES! My answer probably isn't a surprise for anyone who's talked to me/read my blog/seen me dancing while driving, but my brother wasn't convinced. He said that books have changed his life, but never a song. (My brother: giving me monthly heart attacks since 1980).

Of course my brain started spinning and I wondered, why do these things change our lives? Why can a melody comfort you during your worst times, or why can two paragraphs in a book make you quit your job and start an entirely different one? Maybe it was too much caffeine, or perhaps I'm just an overly weepy & sentimental person, but it made me think about the Red String of Fate, the idea that soulmates are tied together by a red string that leads them to one another.

Now that's all lovely and amazing and yay for soulmates, but what if there are other strings that tie us to music and art and words? What if every time we hear that song, or read that chapter, or see that film scene, it's like another string that ties us to the things we love? And the more books we read and music we hear, we keep connecting to a greater world, weaving a tapestry with the people around us?

I wasn't a philosophy major or anything, but I have to say, I kind of like my theory. (And yes, I'm totally & completely sober, so don't even ask. And no, my parents weren't hippies.)

So in honor of my idea, here are some things that are making me feel better about our crazy world. In a day where my panic level is directly related to the font size on CNN.com, it's nice to have something else to watch. I'm not saying we shouldn't pay attention to current events, but if we're going to make room for all the bad stuff, we should probably put some good things on the pile, as well.

I've watched the Sigur Ros DVD "Heima" about 7 or 8 times this past week alone and it somehow manages to be both soothing and massively inspiring, which is just what I need. I know Sigur Ros isn't everyone's cup of tea, but give it a try.

Sigur Ros, "Von" (live from the "Heima" DVD)

Sigur Ros, "Vaka (aka "Untitled #1)" (live from "Heima" DVD)

(If you must know, this was the life-changing song for me.)

And now I'm curious: what are the things that changed your life? Leave it in the comments--you know I love reading them!

Off to wrestle with some tofu...

But gravity always wins...

Okay, I caved. I caved like a sandcastle at high tide.

I'm Twittering now.

So if you have any interest in the minute details of my life, or if you just enjoy supporting my e-narcissistic tendencies, feel free to follow me! Highlights so far include singing Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" in the desert at 1am with my brother and trying to watch Obama's speech in a roomful of Republicans. See? Fun times all around. Don't miss out.

Oh. Speaking of politics, I just want to say something: this will be a politics-free blog through November. If you want to know my personal opinions, ask away, but this is not a forum for me to tell you how to vote. I firmly believe that all eligible citizens should vote, and that when (not if) you vote for your candidate, you educate yourself on his/her beliefs, voting record, and previous political actions. If you can't vote yet, get involved in your community, listen to what people say, and pay attention.

Getting down off this soapbox now. Heights make me dizzy, after all.

Anyway, just in case you've been wringing your hands in anticipation, I'm here to tell you that the Radiohead concert was amazing! In fact, it can be summed up in 5 simple words: FAKE PLASTIC TREES. KARMA POLICE. Hearing 20,000 people singing "This is what you get when you mess with us!" was extraordinary. And of course, an extra-special thanks to the girl 10 rows behind us, who kept it rock & roll by projectile vomiting about halfway through the show. (My friend and I were like, "Why is everyone suddenly putting on their hoodies?") Radiohead. It's not for the timid.

And finally on this Friday before the holiday weekend, someone recently asked me what books I've been reading lately. I said, "These ones." The whole website is fascinating, like raiding a bunch of bookshelves. I suddenly have 20 new titles to read. Story of my life. (Author humor!)

Enjoy your 3-day weekend, kittens!

Just because you feel it doesn't mean it's there...

So today is shaping up to be the best day.

First of all, my brother is officially back home in Los Angeles. This is exciting because not only is he an all-around awesome person, but he's living only a mile or so from my place, so I can totally borrow $20 from him whenever I want. As he says, "Scoreboard!" (And before you think I'm a moocher, let me just say that I loaned him approximately $1,000,000 over the course of our childhood together. That's life when you have siblings.)

But anyway, we took a lovely walk this morning for coffee (PEET'S!) and talked about microfinancing in Bangladesh. Nothing like current events & caffeine to get your mind moving.

But even better? I'M SEEING RADIOHEAD TONIGHT. EEK.

What's especially funny is that before I wrote this entry, I was thinking to myself, "Okay, don't geek out on the blog today. Be normal and author-ly. Maybe talk about something besides how you really really hope that they play "Fake Plastic Trees" tonight." And I swear, I was going to remain calm.

And then I chatted with Johanna, my fellow concert-goer. Cue the geekdom.

Me: Ahem.

Me: RADIOHEAD.

Me: That is all.

Johanna: RADIOHEAD!

Me: I'm reading message boards right now!

Johanna: I was just about to change my Facebook status to "counting down to Thom Yorke-iness."

Me: Haha!

Me: I picture a yorkie.

Johanna: Good point.

Johanna: God, the bounty of bad puns is almost overwhelming.

Johanna: "Can't wait to be left High & Dry!"

Johanna: "Looking forward to No Surprises!"

Me: "I feel like an Idioteque for not getting better seats!"

Johanna: LOL

Me: "15 Steps my ass! More like 100!"

Johanna: So appropriate for the Hollywood Bowl, too.

Me: Exactly.

Johanna: "I got a ticket this weekend...from the Karma Police!"

Me: "There There."

Johanna: Oh God, we have to stop.

Johanna: We're embarrassing them.

Me: People will beat us for sure.

And just so this is somewhat related to books, here's an (extremely lengthy, my god) article with Radiohead where the band members talk about what books they're currently reading. To the library, kittens!

Radiohead, "There There" (live at Glastonbury, 2003)

Dreaming in the driver's seat when the right words just came to me...

Oh, friends. What would I do without them?

Johanna: You there?

Me: Yep.

Johanna: Yay. So.

Me: Gah.

Johanna: *asks about particularly annoying situation that I can't even begin to explain*

Me: Gah.

Me: Gah. I'm done.

Me: I'm changing my Facebook status to "Robin is done."

Johanna: You were so close to being that Spoon album!

Johanna: Don't give up!

Me: LOL

Me: Last night after I got home, I had the worst temper tantrum.

Me: I threw shit for about 10 minutes.

Johanna: Me too!

Johanna: Anything in particular or just stuff?

Me: Oh, just the iPod adapter cord.

Me: Nothing breakable.

Me: What'd you throw?

Johanna: I slammed things.

Johanna: Drawers

Johanna: Frozen pizza.

Johanna: Cabinets.

Johanna: It was a slammy good time.

Me: I recommend throwing your iPod adapter cord if you ever have pocket doors like I do.

Anyway, today is way way better, mostly because of these reasons:

1) I just found out that my current favorite book, "California Crossing", has a sequel. SCOREORAMA. I better pay my library fines ASAP so I can get this.

2) I finally got tickets to see Nine Inch Nails at the LA Forum! Who has two thumbs and is super-excited about this concert? ME! NIN changed my life when I was sixteen, sitting in the back of my mom's minivan and listening to "The Downward Spiral" with my hands pressed over my earphones, trying to get the sound even further into my head. (And actually, now that I think about it, the phrase "The Downward Spiral" was appropriate for my mom's minivan, too. Oh, the stories I could tell about that car. The fact that it's now known in family lore as "The Smokin' Blue Bomb" should give you a hint.)

But 16 years of fan worship later, here's the video that convinced me to pay out the money and see my favorite band once again. Unbe-freaking-lievable visuals. Enjoy, peeps!

Nine Inch Nails, July 26, Seattle

The rules are the first to go...

Check it out, kittens! Norway's representin'!

Can I just tell you how much I love that the title is "Audrey, Vent!" Like, "Audrey, let it out! Don't keep it in!" Hahah, language is funny. Either way, I think the cover is awesome and if Audrey were to ever star in "The Matrix", she would look like this. Two thumbs up, Norway!

Other than that, I don't have much to say, other than the fact that my friend Johanna and I were discussing the song "Girl in the War" by Josh Ritter the other day, and Johanna was so excited about it that it made me want to listen to it again, and well...now I'm hooked once more. Here, let me pass along the addiction.

Josh Ritter, "Girl in the War" (from "The Animal Years")

"Turn up the music and pray that she makes it through..."