Robin Benway

Once more for a simple twist of fate...

Oh, look, I'm back and so are you. That's good, don't you think?

So this weekend, I ended up attending the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators) conference in Los Angeles. When I say "attended", it was actually something more like "showed up and spent 10 hours desperate hunting for gift bags and freebies." (I kid, I kid.) I didn't even have plans to go, but suddenly schedules changed and I found myself at the Century Plaza Hotel on Saturday afternoon, searching frantically for people I knew so that I wouldn't have to stand by myself and look like I didn't have any friends.

Sometimes I get a smidge nervous in large groups of people that I don't know, but it was actually a nice way to spend an afternoon. The conference is made up mostly of writers, editors, and agents, and I got to see Jay Asher & the Disco Mermaids in the lobby. Also, my lovely & stylish friend Rachel Cohn gave a wonderful speech about writing YA. I sat in the audience with our friend Sean and we took turns heckling her. (Again, I kid. Sean was the only heckler, Rachel. One hand to God.)

But in between gift-bag searching and heckling, it hit me how fortunate I am to have my job. There were thousands of people at the conference this weekend, writers and would-be writers and struggling writers and everyone in between, and I'm one of them. I get to wake up every morning and write and cross things out and type for 3 hours and then wonder where the time went. I sort of wanted to start walking up to people and shake them by the shoulders and say, "Don't give up! Keep going! You can do it!" (But let's face it, if I did that, they would have called Security and then I'd never get my gift bag.)

So I'm saying it here: if you're a writer, keep going. If we had 30 minutes and comfortable chairs, I'd tell you all about how many times I failed at being a professional writer, which includes getting 3 rejection letters from various MFA programs, all of which arrived on the same day. (Yeah. I'm still bitter.)

But being published doesn't make you a writer. Having a degree doesn't make you a writer. You're a writer when you're putting words together in your mind, or when you're waking up at 3am to jot down the word "skateboard" on a notepad by your bed. You can be a writer at 8 years old or 15 or 93. It doesn't matter. Just keep going.

Wow, this entry got so long! I was actually supposed to turn this into an essay about why I love writing, but how I always end up blogging about music instead. It was going to be a good entry, too. Well, I guess we'll do that tomorrow. In the meantime, here's part of a quote that I plastered to the inside of my medicine cabinet and never took down. (The entire quote can be found here.)

"My advice to you is as follows: don't be afraid of grief, or heartthrob; [don't] be intimidated in the presence of presidents and rock stars, but come on as a gentle, living, flesh and blood human being.  Don't treat people as icons....Be a slave to love. Wear your heart on your sleeve. Twenty rejections in a row are wiped out by one acceptance."

--Allen Ginsberg, from "Cups"

'Til Tuesday, kittens!

Forget all about the pressure of days...

Wow, are you people in luck.

Today is, so far, a WAY better day than yesterday. Huzzah! Thanks to everyone who sent notes and basically made sure I wasn't lying on my apartment floor and listening to Elliott Smith on repeat or something like that. 

Which reminds me, "Either/Or" is on sale at Amazon for $2.99. If you haven't already, it would behoove you to purchase it immediately.

(Ha. "Behoove." What a great word.)

So to make up for yesterday's doom & gloom, I bring you some fun things today. Namely, "Audrey" Around the World.

So far, "Audrey, Wait!" has sold in 11 other countries, including Israel, Sweden, France, and Germany. I recently got to see some artwork from some foreign book jackets and I thought you might enjoy. Let's hop to it.

The UK

Italy

The Netherlands

Korea (this one is now the wallpaper on my phone)

I'll keep you posted on any others that make their way to me.

And finally, apropos of nothing else, I bring you my favorite IM conversation of the past 24 hours.

Me: (during a particularly melodramatic moment) Can we go to NYC so I can be trampled by some horses in Central Park?

Aaron: I'm sure we can get you trampled by horses without having to sit in coach for 5 hours.

I seriously and without irony adore my friends.

Let fall the flowers from your hair...

Why hello hello.

So. Event Saturday went off without a hitch! If you were there, you already knew that, but if you weren't, my friend Paula Yoo, author of the YA book "Good Enough", recapped it, complete with my sartorial decisions. Behold.

For those of you who couldn't make it, Robin wore a lovely sleeveless patterned summer dress with an embroidered hem and matching sandals and had a nice red manicure. She wore her hair down loose and she looked very pretty. She read two excerpts from her book Audrey, Wait! The first was in the middle of the book during a concert where the main character meets an interesting British guy (Robin refused to do the British accent tho, haha!). Then she read the opening chapter which is a fantastic opening that sets up the fun tone and voice of the main character's dilemma.

Then the band My Name Is Guy performed - they were a great band with male/female harmonies and bongos and they sounded like your early '90s shoegazer college alt mellow rock band. Very cool vibe. People also got to ask Robin questions about her book and about the song "Audrey Wait!". She mentioned there was a youtube songwriting contest for the book. And here's one youtube example.

How cute is that? Very neat promo! Anyway, it was very well attended and a lot of fun and Robin did a great job and her book is awesome.

Awww, she's sweet! (And while we're talking about books and clothes, I have to say that Paula ended up wearing a dress that perfectly matched the "Audrey" cover, so that was lovely.) Anyway, the event was wonderful, people were cool, and I got to eat tamales with some friends afterwards, so win-win-win.

But as fabulous as Saturday was, I've been in a blah mood ever since. I thought I had a case of the Sundays, but here's Monday morning and the blah is still around.

Blah.

The crazy thing about being in a Mood is that I can't write because either a) all my characters end up in bad moods, too, and then they start doing things they're not supposed to do, which really screws me up, or b) the Mood gives me Writer's Block, which only creates more problems.

So if I'm not writing, I need a back-up cheer-up plan, and for reasons even I don't understand, that plan is "Go to Anthropologie and Buy a Teacup". Something like this.

Again, I don't why this works, but most of the times, it does. (And if you ever come over for coffee, this will be the reason why none of my coffee cups match.)

But sometimes, I just want to wallow, and this morning, I am in Wallow Central.

And you know that Wallow Central has a soundtrack. (Don't worry, it's only the following five songs. I'm not trying to depress everyone for days.)

AA Bondy, "Black Rain, Black Rain"

"Like a ghost upon a breeze in a land of elegies..."

Coldplay, "The Scientist"

"Come up to meet you / Tell you I'm sorry / You don't know how lovely you are..."

Evan Dando, "Frying Pan" (Victoria Williams cover)

"One laugh in the middle of a struggle / Eight diamonds at the bottom of a puddle / Did you ever stare at the moon 'til you saw double?"

Ray LaMontagne, "Empty"

"And of these cut-throat busted sunsets and cold and damp white mornings, I have grown weary..."

Teddy Thompson, "Tonight Will Be Fine" (Leonard Cohen cover)

"There is only one bed and there is only one prayer..."

Whew. That was...fun? Would that be an inappropriate way to describe sad music? Hmm.

Anyway, me and the iPod are going to the beach to eat tacos and guacamole and do something about this Mood. But let's end things on a good note, okay?

Ella Fitzgerald, "Get Happy"

"The sun is shining / C'mon get happy!"

EDIT: My aunt just emailed me to give me some of her own "cheer up" tips. I heart my fam. 

Turning your orbit around...

Alooooooha. Let's begin, shall we?

So tomorrow promises to be very exciting. I have my event at Vroman's! I'm super-happy because I know some friends and other lovely sorts are coming to see me, which warms my little heart. On the other hand, I'm nervous! I don't know why I'm nervous, but I suspect it's the caffeine, which is also warming my little heart.

(Just so you know, by 7am this morning, I suspected I was already overcaffeinated. Oh, today promises to be fun.)

Anyway, if you can make it tomorrow, I would love to see your adorable face. Bring friends and some questions for the Q&A. All the details you need are in the above link & just to your right and don't forget, Google Maps is your friend. Especially in Pasadena.

This entry was going to be longer, but I'm having an Omelette Crisis in the kitchen. Gotta run, but before I do, I woke up with this song in my head this morning and it reminded me that I haven't listened to it in a while. Here's to a mellow (and now omelette-less) Friday.

Wilco, "Jesus, Etc."

"You were right about the stars / Each one is a setting sun..."

Every one of us is all we need...

So my brother read yesterday's blog entry. Yes.

We then had a follow-up discussion.

Chatting About Music: A Continuing Series

Chris: I like how you made sure to say all the nice things before making fun of me.

Me: I didn't make fun! It was a word-for-word conversation we had. You did it to yourself.

Chris: I still don't like the Beatles.

Me: It's a knife through my heart every time you say that.

Chris: Here's what every Beatles song sounds like: "Blah blah blah blah blah."

Me: Dude! I can't even believe this. You're the one who made me like some of the Beatles' songs!

Chris: I did?

Me: Remember how we were driving out from Colorado together? I didn't even like "Yellow Submarine" but you made me like it!

Chris: I did? That's a terrible song.

Me: No, it's not! Remember? We were driving and we both did the whole (in a horrendous Cockney accent) "in our yellow...submarine...AHA!" part together?

Chris: (thinking)...that is fun, you're right.

Me: I need to lie down.

Chris: (evil laughter)

But then again, what do we know? He fell off a horse and I fell out of bed. We're not exactly at the top of the food chain right now.

Anyway, brother shenanigans aside, today I'm heading out to San Diego for about 18 hours, where I'm visiting a lovely friend who moved to New York and rarely comes back to California except for business trips. (It's sometimes sad when your friends are 3000 miles and a 3-hour time difference away.) The last time I was in San Diego, I had just quit my job and almost got into a nightmarish car accident because I was so upset, so I'm thinking this trip will be a much-needed improvement over last time.

See you soon, I'll send postcards!

Just for that one moment, I could be you...

Wounded. Oh so wounded.

So, you know, on Friday night I fell out of bed. As one does.

It's sort of a complicated story involving my leg, my bed, a bookshelf, and a book avalanche, but the end result is that I have a bruise the size of New Guinea on my foot and I'm very grateful that all of my paperbacks were not hardcovers. Like I needed a concussion on top of all this. 

I wish I could say that I injured myself dancing to the new Girl Talk album, "Feed the Animals", but the only thing that ever gets injured when I dance is my self-respect. Have you heard this album, by the way? You should. It's only available online, but you can pay what you want. (If you don't like dance-y mash-ups albums, you're not going to like this one. Just FYI.)

So that was my weekend. Couch-dancing and ice packs. It's a 24-hour party in my apartment, don't you think? 

It's especially ironic that I'm wounded because my brother is also injured, only his story is much better. He fell off a horse. Now that's the way to do it! None of this wimpy falling-out-of-bed nonsense. He was in town last week and we spent a bunch of time hanging out together and having interesting conversations.

I'm going to preface this by saying that I adore my brother. He's smart and hilarious and super-driven and will probably end up fabulously wealthy on a yacht in Crete (or wherever the yachting types go, I don't know). Anyway, he's just A-1 the best. Two thumbs up for him.

That being said, after the following conversation, I have serious doubts that we're related.

Chatting About Music: A Continuing Series

Chris: (driving) Put on some music.

Me: (passengering) You don't like anything I listen to. I'm not falling for that again.

Chris: I like good music.

Me: No, because every time I put on a song, you make fun of it and my iPod's feelings get hurt.

Chris: Put something ooonnnn.

Me: (hits "shuffle") Fine. Here.

(Bob Dylan's "Positively 4th Street" comes on)

Chris: I don't like Bob Dylan.

Me: Well, okay, I kind of get that. I mean, I like him, but a lot of people don't like Bob Dyl--

Chris: Or the Beatles. I don't like the Beatles, either.

Me: (has heart attack)

Chris: I just...ugh. Yeah. No Beatles.

Me: You don't like the Beatles???

Chris: Or Bob Dylan.

Two weeks later, and the only comeback I have is this. Boo-yah, brother.

Bob Dylan, "Yesterday" (Beatles cover)

I can't stop listening to the sound...

Hi kittens! Did you miss me? (Hint: there's only one right answer to that question, haha!)

Oh, what can I say? I'm finally home from Italy, but I wish I could go back! It's like this perfect magical land of food and culture and music and ruins and canals and pretty much surpassed my expectations. Coming back was kind of like waking up from a perfect dream. Do you ever do that thing where you're dreaming about [insert amazing & fabulous thing here] and you wake up and think, "No, I have to go back to sleep because I need to keep having that dream!"

That's what it was like to come home from Italy.

So if any of you are planning on visiting soon, please let me know and I'll double up on the yoga classes so I can be limber enough to fit in your suitcase.

But I am home, and I'm de-jet-lagged, I've done all my laundry, visited the dry cleaners twice, dragged my suitcase back into the closet, returned phone calls, celebrated my belated birthday, downloaded all the new fancy-schmancy iPhone 2.0 stuff, and finally dusted off the old computer.

Here's a list of things that are happening with me that I think you might find newsworthy. All of this is "Audrey"-related, of course, since I doubt you want to know about all the banal things in my life. That would be an entirely different (and incredibly mortifying, oh my god) blog.

So, first things first. I'm doing another signing in Los Angeles! (Well, actually, Pasadena, but really, once you're on the freeway, it's ALL Los Angeles.) I'm signing at Vroman's Bookstore on July 26 at 4pm, as part of their "Summer Author & Music Series". Local band Mynameisguy is also performing, so it should be a hootenanny. And really, who doesn't like a hootenanny? If you do make it to the signing, please make sure to introduce yourself and say hello!

Next, my friend Anna-Lynne, who I've known since I was five years old and who's in the bands Trespassers William and Lotte Kestner, recently did an interview with me for the online magazine Identity Theory. We talked about fun things like music and record players and why Leonard Cohen is a lyrical genius.

Here's a little "Behind the Book" info: you know how in "Audrey, Wait!", Audrey is always putting pictures of her favorite bands on her wall? Anna-Lynne did that all the time when we were in high school, so I stole that idea and put it in the book.

So to conclude: Me? Signing at Vroman's on the 26th. Anna-Lynne? Does awesome interviews. Laundry? Clean and shoved into a drawer somewhere. Italy? Gorgeous. I put some pictures on Facebook, but here's some highlights to send us off. (Click for the biggie versions.)

I loooooved Venice. I am googly-eyed with affection for Venice.

Dinner in Florence. We were surrounded by some of the most amazing statues and artwork, and what do I take a picture of? The food.

Lavender fields in Tuscany.

Beach umbrellas along the Amalfi Coast.

Eating just outside of Rome. Lunch took about 3 bliss-filled hours, and the owner of the restaurant kept playing Kings of Convenience on the stereo. I suspect that heaven looks a lot like that day.

Kings of Convenience, "Homesick"

"A song for someone who needs somewhere to long for..."

And finally, here's a chat conversation I had with my brother upon returning home.

Aaah, famiglia.

You broke your fingers in the climb...

Oh my God, blame the lateness of this entry on the stupid neenerheads (I'm trying to swear less) at Time Warner Cable. I won't give you details, but after an hour, I wanted to use my cable modem to bludgeon myself in the head.

Time Warner Cable gave me rage issues. Thanks, guys.

Anyway, a few of you (hi Mom!) might already know this, but I'm leaving for Italy tomorrow! I've never been to Europe, so this'll be quite the experience. I might be a little unreachable and this blog might be a smidge empty for the next two weeks, but I promise to update once I return. Promise. Cross my heart and all that stuff&nonsense.

The exciting part is that I get to go to Italy and talk about "Audrey!" Or, as they call it in Italy, "Aspetta!" There's even a contest with TRL Italy! (And I can't figure out a word of my author bio on that site, so if anyone speaks Italian, help a girl out.)

Unfortunately, though, I'm the worst packer in the world, especially when it comes to my carry-on bag. Which books to take? Which magazines? Do I want a newspaper? Do I need my computer? Where the hell are my comfy socks? It goes on and on and on, so I won't bore you with details, but I need some help. Ergo...

What books should I take with me? Leave me comments if you want and tell me your favorite traveling book because I'm stymied. Keep in mind that I don't want to lug around "War & Peace" (not that it's a bad book, just sizeable), so if you've got short-story collection recommendations, excellent.

Music, however, is super-easy, thanks to my iPod. I know I blogged last week about Coldplay's new CD, so that's a slam-dunk. However, I'm also listening to a ton of Tilly & the Wall lately. And wouldn't you know it, but their new CD "o" came out yesterday, so we're going to have to pretend that New Music Tuesday is New Music Wednesday. (Again, thanks, Time Warner Cable.)

Tilly & the Wall, "Pot Kettle Black" (from "o")

"I bet you think we didn't know / Didn't even see the tides change!"

But you know the best thing about Tilly & the Wall? They don't have a drummer.

They have a tap dancer.

Tilly & the Wall, "Bad Education" (from "Bottoms of Barrels")

"I'm a believer, I'm solid matter..."

Other music I'm planning on listening to while flying high in the sky: Kings of Leon, NIN, and my all-time favorite traveling song, Yo-Yo Ma performing Ennio Morricone's "Gabriel's Oboe" & "The Falls" from "The Mission" soundtrack. If you listen to any song, listen to this last one, because it is perfect.

Ciao, kittens! I promise to return with metaphorical souvenirs and a couple of snazzy photos.

(And of course, I miss you already.)

They are turning my head out to see what I'm all about...

Oooh, Tuesday. We all made it through yet another Monday. I have to say, even though I don't have a "normal" job and don't have to be in an office at 9am, Mondays are still hard. Why, Universe, why?

Anyway, it is Tuesday, June 10, which means that the "Audrey, Wait!" contest is almost over! The deadline is midnight tonight (or technically, tomorrow? How does that work anyway? I can never figure it out) so if you still have a song in your head for "Audrey", then be brave and post it! And for those of you who don't have a musical bone in your body, you can vote on your favorite video. There's something for everyone!

And because it's also Tuesday, that means it's New Music Tuesday. However, the only thing I'm really excited about is the new Coldplay album, which doesn't even come out until next week. I'm surprised that I'm so excited about it, since I've never been a huge Coldplay fan, but "Viva la Vida" has songs that make you want to fly. And maybe only three of you will understand what I mean by that, but that's okay.

And PS, you can stream "Viva La Vida" right over here, so it's your lucky day. (My two favorites are "42" and "Lovers in Japan / Reign of Love", in case you were curious.)

More later this week, including tidbits on "Audrey, Wait" in Italy!

Ciao, kittens.

I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo...

Chatting About Music: A Continuing Series

Any good story needs a back story.

So as you may have heard, Book Expo America (BEA) was this weekend in Los Angeles. It's basically a big trade show for book publishing where you finally meet the people you've spent the past year talking to on the phone. No one really cares about that, though, because it's all about the parties. Basically, we book people go anywhere where there's food and drinks, so yeah, BEA is fun.

This year, though, Prince--yes, freaking Prince--had an exclusive party (!) at his house (!!) where he performed for less than 200 people(!!!). Now, if I had been one of those people, I would not be blogging about it, but rather screaming from the rooftops, "Holy shit, I was just in Prince's house!" And then my neighbors would have been like, "Shut up, it's the middle of the night!" and I would have been like, "Jealous much?!"

But of course, because I was not at said party, that conversation did not happen. The concert was supposed to start at 11pm, but Prince didn't go onstage until almost 2am. Because, you know, he's Prince and if he wants to take his sweet time, it's his house and you can just go home if you don't like it.

Anyway, my lovely friend Johanna and I were amused by all of this. Then again, we are amused by almost anything.

Me: I'm dying to hear how the Prince concert was!

Me: I heard he didn't start until 2am

Johanna: Oh my god - I would have fallen asleep on his purple vinyl sofa

Johanna: Shaped like that weird symbol thing, of course.

Me: LOL

Me: Can you imagine?

Me: "Prince! Did your mother NOT teach you manners?!"

Me: "Unless you are bleeding profusely from an artery, this show better start!"

Johanna: I can't even imagine Prince's mom

Johanna: Do you think she hangs out down in Boca and has a totally normal life?

Johanna: And what did she call him when he had no name?

Johanna: "Hey, symbol-guy, call your mother."

Me: LOL

Me: Prince's mom in Boca!

Me: She'll blend right in, i'm sure

Johanna: She could wear lots of lavender

Me: Do you think she wears a button with his picture on it, like a t-ball mom?

Johanna: TOTALLY

Johanna: And it's shaped like his symbol

Me: "What does your son do? An accountant? Oh, that's nice. My son is the sex god of funk."

Johanna: LOL

Johanna: "Maybe you've heard of him?"

Me: And Prince is like, "Moooo-oooom! You're embarrassing me!"

Johanna: "THIS is what it sounds like when doves cry!"

Me: L

Me: O

Me: L

Me: OMG, winner.

Johanna: I wish I could take credit for that one.

Johanna: I think it's Milhouse Vanhouten when his parents get back together.

And so it is.

All this discussion about Prince is quite timely. This might be old news to you, but when he performed at Coachella last month, Prince did a cover of Radiohead's "Creep". So of course, every second person put a video of it on YouTube, but Prince has "issues" with YouTube, so his management pulled all the clips, claiming copyright infringement.

But here's the thing: Radiohead owns the copyright to "Creep", not Prince, so Radiohead was like, "Uh, Prince, seriously?" (I'm paraphrasing.) Thom Yorke can't even watch the clip on YouTube, poor guy!

But you can.

And just for the record, I get chills every time I hear this song.

Radiohead, "Fake Plastic Trees" live at Glastonbury 2003