Robin Benway

TOUR UPDATE: SAN FRANCISCO, PART 2

Location: My hotel room in San Francisco
Time: 2:00am

Me: (on the phone) Um, hello?
Front Desk: Yes?
Me: Yes, hi. I think I'm smelling smoke in my hotel room. Is it just me or...?
Front Desk: Um, yes. They were doing some work in the hotel restaurant and they hit some wiring--
Me: Oh?
Front Desk: --and it got into the ventilation system.
Me: Oh.
Front Desk: Yeah. So...
Me: So the building's not burning down or anything?
Front Desk: Oh, no, nothing like that.

AN HOUR LATER

Me: (on the phone) Um, hello?
Front Desk: Yes?
Me: Hi, I called earlier? The smoke? It's getting a lot stronger? In my room?
Front Desk: Um, yes. We've actually called the fire department and they're here now.
Me: Sooo...should I be evacuating?
Front Desk: Oh, no, you're fine.
Me: (thinking of scene in "Titanic" where they tell everyone that the ship is just fine and to stay in their rooms, even as they're slowly sinking to their death) Are you sure?
Front Desk: Yes. If we needed to evacuate the building, we'd knock on everyone's door and tell them to leave.
Me: (wondering about the efficacy of such a system, and also wondering why a high-tech fire alarm system wouldn't be preferable) Um, well, okay.

This could only happen to me, I swear. Anyway, it all worked out fine and I went back to sleep and dreamt that I lost my computer in a house fire.

But I had so much fun yesterday, despite my smoke inhalation! Polly & Jody & I had a great time talking to readers from Rakestraw Books, and Not Your Mother's Book Club at Books Inc. was awesome! You guys ask such good questions and I'm completely honored that you show up to hear us read from our books.

Don't forget about Seattle tonight! And please don't blame me if I smell like an electrical fire.

Oh, and PS. New Music Tuesday is on hold today while I'm busy flying in the sky, but if you want, leave comments and tell me what new music you're listening to. I love recommendations!

PPS. Today is FREE CONE DAY AT BEN & JERRY'S! I'm so excited that it took me 3 tries to type this sentence without any typos.

TOUR UPDATE: SAN FRANCISCO

I have been in my hotel for 2 minutes. So far:

1) I have discovered leopard-print pajamas in the closet. They are for sale. How kind of them to think of me!

2) I have managed to get a Hello Kitty band-aid permanently stuck to the floor. Oops.

I'm leavin' on a jet plane....

Hey, you know what's fun?

Sleep deprivation! Woo!

Anyway, I'm now 3 minutes late for my flight to San Francisco, where I'll be seeing some of you this evening at Rakestraw Books and Books Inc. And I met even more of you this weekend at the LA Times Festival of Books! How much fun was that? I even got to meet one of my fellow Razorbill authors, Jay Asher, who wrote 13 Reasons Why. (If you haven't read that book yet, please amend that situation asap. It is wonderful.)

Anyway, if you were someone who came up to me yesterday and introduced yourself, please know that it was such a pleasure to meet you! One of my favorites parts of being a writer is getting to meet the people that read my book, so thank you, thank you, thank you.

Eep! 5 minutes late now! Gotta run, kittens, but I'll keep you posted from the road.

APRIL 28: SAN FRANCISCO
4pm
Rakestraw Books
409 Railroad Avenue
Danville, CA 94526
925. 837.7337
with Polly Shulman & Jody Gehrman

7pm
Books Inc. Opera Plaza
Not Your Mother's Book Club
601 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA
415.776.1111
with Polly Shulman & Jody Gehrman

APRIL 29: SEATTLE
7pm
Third Place Books
17171 Bothell Way NE
Lake Forest Park, WA 98155
206.366.3333
with Polly Shulman, Jody Gehrman, & Seattle band Shotty

APRIL 30: LOS ANGELES
7pm
Vroman's Bookstore
695 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91101
626.449.5320
with Polly Shulman & Jody Gehrman

At this moment, you should be with us...

Ohhhhh, party people, it's crazy around LA this weekend!

Don't forget about seeing me & all the other fabulous authors at the LA Times Book Festival this Saturday & Sunday. I went to a party last night and met a ton of authors, so if I'm psyched to see them all again, you should be, too.

APRIL 27: LOS ANGELES
LA Times Book Festival at UCLA
11am-12pm
Penguin Young Readers Booth Signing
Booth #813

1-2pm
"Young Adult Writing: Not Just For Kids"
Panel event with Jay Asher, Cecil Castellucci, & Michele Serros
Young Hall CS 50

And now. If you're not going to the book festival, then maybe you're going to Coachella. Which means that maayyyyyybe you might be seeing Jane's Addiction play tonight. I know Jane's just reunited for the NME Awards, but I've heard a few rumors that they're reuniting again tonight at Coachella. Or tomorrow night. Or maybe not at all. Who can tell with these rockstars?

From the El Rey, Los Angeles, April 23, 2008:
Jane's Addiction, "Stop!"
Jane's Addiction, "Ocean Size"

And I leave you with this for the weekend.

So. Freaking. Awesome

Does your heart echo like a hall?

First things first.

Google cafeteria = AWESOME. They have all the Coke Zero you can drink! I had lunch with my friend Sasha, whose YA book is coming out in the fall, and it was lovely. The place is pretty much built on primary colors, which must have been a slam dunk for the design team.

In more "Audrey, Wait!" news, don't forget about the contest! If you can record your cat walking on a treadmill and put it on YouTube, then you can certainly make a music video for "Audrey"! Heck, have your cat walk on the treadmill in the background, for all I care. Maybe s/he can play the part of Bendomolena. Think about it.

Speaking of "Audrey", over at the YA YA YAs website, not only have they given "Audrey" a lovely review, but they also have an interview with me! Hee hee! Check it out when you have a chance.

And several months ago, I also did an interview at Teen Book Review, so hey, take a peek at that one, too. I swear, I'm trying to sound interesting.

Thank you so, so much to all of the websites that have reviewed the book! I'm putting together a set of links for my page that list all of your sites, so feel free to email me links or post them in the comments below. Woo-hoo!

And of course, it's Tuesday, which means New Music Tuesday! Yay, New Music Tuesday!

First off, we have The Weepies. The Weepies are a husband & wife duo who live in Topanga Canyon with their baby and write songs together. The Weepies, it turns out, are living my ideal life. And they are probably lovely people, too.

The new album is "Hideaway" and lo and behold, you can listen to it online at iLike. Technology is the best thing ever.

The Weepies, "Orbiting" (from the album "Hideaway")
"Now I feel you gone 'cause I know which side you're on / And it's not mine..."

The Weepies, "Riga Girls" (from the album "Say I Am You")
"It's a facade like the sky, like the moon, like your eyes..."

You know what other band is releasing an album today? FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS. Oh man, I cry with laughter whenever I hear/watch these guys. And their fan, Mel? No words.

They're going on tour in May & June, so I implore you to get tickets. But if you're not up for a live show (and hey, sometimes I'm not either, I get it) you can listen to the new CD or download some (very legal) mp3s from SubPop.

However, if you're lucky enough to be in LA this Thursday, April 24th, Flight of the Conchords will be performing live at Amoeba. 6pm, kittens. Don't be late. Something tells me it's going to be crowded in the aisles that night.

Gonna make a pie with a heart in the middle...

Ooh, two entries in one day! Look at me being all productive!

It has come to my attention that CosmoGirl's Online Book Club has made "Audrey, Wait" their pick for April! Wow! It looks so cool! If you go check it out, you can find not only another Q&A with me, but you'll also discover a recipe. From ME.

That's right, people, I actually have a recipe. Can you believe it? Never mind that it doesn't involve a oven, stove, or even a George Foreman Grill. It is a food-related recipe and that's all that matters.

So go and peruse and read and enjoy! (And don't forget the potholders. Just trust me on this. DO NOT. FORGET. THE POTHOLDERS.)

I ain't even been to the ocean...

You know, it didn't hit me until Friday, but this was the first weekend in almost 3 years that I haven't been writing a book. (Or thinking about what I should be writing.) It was kind of weird. Like, a lot weird. So of course I IM'd someone about it because, hi, it's the 21st century and if you don't IM about it, it didn't happen.

Me: I am sitting on my couch with my feet up.
Me: and I'm bored.
Me: :)
Aaron: HA!
Aaron: You're about to start writing another book, aren't you?
Aaron: I can tell.
Aaron: You're gonna get bored.
Me: noooooooo.
Aaron: You're gonna have chatty characters start talking in your head again
Me: dude, don't even.
Me: DON'T EVEN.
Me: SHUT UP.
Aaron: You miss [particularly endearing character] already.
Me: maybe.
Aaron: hee hee hee hee
Aaron: bored (pshaw)
Me: i think i'm mistaking exhaustion for boredom.

So I had fun this weekend! I got to go to Topanga Canyon! I got to eat at Mexico City and the Alcove! I bought dresses at Anthropologie! I had coffee from Urth and got so amped that you're all lucky you were far, far away from me! Twas great.

And this is me and my baby-friend Luke sharing a tomato & basil omelette. Please note that while I'm looking at the camera, Luke is focused on the food. He is wise to the ways of brunch.

You know what else I did? I listened to my iPod on shuffle, and I discovered a great song! Does that ever happen to you? I mean, I've heard this song before, but I never really heard it. So now I have a new favorite song! I love when that happens!

Kings of Leon, "Ragoo"
"They know it all but they still ain't seen the truth / Just play my song and I'll show it all to you..."

I am having lunch at the famed Google cafeteria today, people. I'll report back!

I need sanctuary in the pages of this book...

It is done.

I finished Book 2 at 6:36pm last night, sitting in a Starbucks in the middle of the desert. (I was easily the least-tan person in the room, but that's neither here nor there.) I even typed "THE END", which I know is really cheesy, but hot damn, those are two very satisfying words to type.

There's a million edits on their way, of course, and page revisions and typos to correct but oh my goodness, i finished my second book. I never thought I'd write ONE book, much less TWO! Someone better start manning the confetti cannons, is all I'm saying.

In completely unrelated news, I'm going to be on "Jonesy's Jukebox" on Indie 103.1 next Friday, April 25th! It's for "Jonesy's Jury" and I'm probably going to talk about "Audrey" and music and the LA Times Book Festival, which is April 26 & 27 at UCLA. And yes, it's the same weekend as Coachella, but just go to Coachella on Friday so you can see The Raconteurs and The Verve. Then come to the book festival on Saturday and Sunday! They have authors! And books! And frozen lemonade!

Sorry, I got off-track. Anyway. Me + "Jonesy's Jukebox" = good times. Don't miss it.

If you need me, I will be taking a nap.

That's right, put your pom-poms down...

Ooh, ooh! Just what you wanted! A new installation in our Chatting About Music: A Continuing Series. I supply your demand, people.

Johanna: Your book is bananas
Me: b-a-n-a-n-a-s!
Johanna: b a n a n a s
Me: LOLOLOLOL
Johanna: oh god
Johanna: now that song's going to be in my head
Me: like it wasn't already.
Me: don't lie.
Johanna: too true
Johanna: Gwen...she's always with me
Johanna: that's a good idea to give you confidence
Me: be like gwen!
Me: "What would Gwen do?"
Johanna: she was probably hella (pun intended) nervous about releasing a song that contained the lyric
Johanna: "this s*&$ is bananas"
Johanna: and here we are, slavishly devoted to her
Me: i don't get it, either.
Me: Sometimes I find myself singing along and i'm like, 'What the hell did I just say?"
Johanna: I know! I mean "bubble pop electric"
Johanna: did she toss words into a hat?
Me: Seriously!
Me: it's like Boggle!

Sometimes you need a little Gwen to start your day, y'know?

We'll put on a day and we'll wear it 'til the night comes...

Well, well, well, Audrey's been in the world for a whopping 5 days now, and so far it's been fun! I've been getting the most cryptic texts and emails from my friends and family about where they've seen the book. It's like playing some weird game of quasi-Battleship. "5 copies at the B&N on the Promenade!" "It's at the Target in Natick!" You get the idea.

But a lot of you have left me MySpace messages, or comments, or just sent a nice note, and I cannot say thank you enough. Just knowing that people are reading my book is such a thrill, and if you enjoy it, well then, so much the better.

Oh, and just in case, don't forget about the "Audrey, Wait!" contest! C'mon, who doesn't like making videos of themselves and putting them on YouTube? Do it, it'll be fun!

So of course, today is also New Music Tuesday. Or, as my friend Sean would probably refer to it, today is the today that Mariah Carey's new CD comes out. It's called "E=MC2" and for the longest time, I couldn't figure out why Sean's MySpace status involved this equation. I was like, "Wha...? Sean's not a physicist. What's with all the math?" I got it now. You'd think with all the caffeine in my system, I'd be quicker on the uptake, but no.

It's also the day that "Juno B-Sides" comes out! Yay! Rhino Records has a bunch of sound clips posted, so groove away, kittens.

As for me, if my calculations are correct, I will be done with Book 2 in approximately 53 hours. Eeeep! This has to be one of the hardest times as a writer, not because of the time crunch, but because it's almost time to say goodbye to my characters. I love them as much as I love Audrey and her group, and as excited as I am to one day introduce them to you, sometimes I don't want to let go.

So here's a song that's making me want to do amazing things today. Maybe you need to hear it, too.

U2, "Beautiful Day" live at Slane Castle 2001

"The goal is soul! Soul!"