Robin Benway

"I made a map and knew that somehow I could find my way back..."

Well, let's all be thankful that this blog is a just a blog and not a houseplant or goldfish or something.

So can I just tell you what I did over my summer vacation? Good, because it's a great story.

First: I finished the next book! I mean, it is FINISHED. The final draft have been sent in, the chapters have honest-to-goodness chapter TITLES (I have the hardest time coming up with chapter titles, I swear), and I've even seem a glimpse of the book's cover! It's so exciting! It's also exhausting! I need about 236 naps before I'm officially caught up with sleep.

So here's the next exciting part. This new book? It has a title! And a release date! Are you ready?...You don't look ready yet. Sit down, grab a snack or some water. Are you ready now? Okay.

The book is titled "THE EXTRAORDINARY SECRETS OF APRIL, MAY AND JUNE" and it'll be out August 2010. 

I know, right? AUGUST. NEXT YEAR. I'm so crazy anxious to have you guys read it that I don't know how I'm going to make it another 11 months! I guess we're all just gonna have to be patient, but I really really really hope you think the wait is worth it. I love this book, I'm absolutely crazy about it, and I'm looking forward to talking about it with all of you.

That's also why I haven't blogged much over the past several months. I knew one of you curious types would ask about "AMJ" and then I'd tell you something and then my publisher would probably (and quite justifiably) hunt me down & hurt me. So really, my blogging hiatus was in everyone's best interest. Especially mine.

Of course, now that I've finished the book, I've been on a little vacation by the beach. My family's here, too, which makes it even better and more chaotic and hilarious. (Please note that I didn't say "more relaxing".) We've been by the beach, so all I've been doing is taking cheesy pictures of the ocean and downloading a lot of iPhone apps to make them look nifty. Like this:

I call this one the "I almost dropped the iPhone out the car window" shot. Not an arty title, but an accurate one.

This one is called "The Neighbors Really Need to Trim Their Hedges Already".

I got a little obsessed with Lomo-style special effects. I swear that's a sunset, not an atom bomb.

Aren't those lovely? Anyhoodle, moving on.

I also did some interviews with some amazing blogs. (You official bloggers, I don't know you do it.) Here's some links and some preview questions. Ooooh, aaah.

Interview with the Curious George Book & Toy Store Blog

Q: What would you confess (or rant about) on MTV? 
"I would confess absolutely nothing on camera and instead I would demand to know why the show Parental Control exists."

Interview with Royal Reads

Q: What's Audrey's favorite song?
"When I was writing "Audrey", I listened to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Cheated Hearts" a lot, just because I could totally picture Audrey listening to it every morning while getting ready for school. Also, I loved the line, "Sometimes I think that I'm bigger than the sound." I think that might be her favorite song."

Okay, that's enough for today. I don't wanna overdue it and hurt myself, but don't forget that you can always find me on Twitter or email. And seriously, no need to be shy. I love hearing from you. Yes, even you. 

Oops, I almost forgot. Here's a song from Florence & the Machine. I'm obsessed with them right now. Enjoy.

Florence + the Machine, "Cosmic Love"

"A falling star fell from your heart and landed in my eyes..."

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?

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..."

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.

I'm not scared, I'm out of here...

Is this interview thing getting old? Are you tired of reading about me?

Well, I certainly hope not, because I have not one, but TWO for you this morning! Oh, grab your coffee and hunker down.

First, Powells.com is running a Q&A with me about my favorite books, my ideal day, and the best "Simpsons" episode ever. (One word: Homerpalooza).

And then Miss LK Madigan has included me in her series "Authorial Intrusion", where she asks authors questions that have nothing to do with writing. Instead, you'll hear about, among other things, why I hate snorkeling. So go! Read! After you finish reading this entry, of course.

This is going to be my attempt to meld current-life experiences with life experiences from 4 years ago. I hope this works. As some of you may recall, I saw Modest Mouse and R.E.M. last week at the Hollywood Bowl, and there were two moments during the show that really struck a nerve with me. Don't you just love when that happens?

Anyhoo, 4 years ago, I was broke. I was getting over a terrible illness, had no money, no job, and my bank account laughed at me every time I dared to look at my balance. I swear, it really laughed. I was exhausted and stressed and sort of at the breaking point. I sent out dozens of emails for job ads on Craigslist and other places, but the only response I got was for a temp agency in Century City. I figured, "Hey, I can type a bazillion words a minute, I'm friendly enough, and if pressed, I can look presentable. What's to lose?" So I trooped over to Century City in a very business-y outfit, feeling hopeful, feeling good, ready to kick ass and take names in the temping world.

And then I met the most miserable woman alive who worked in the most miserable office imaginable.

You know how some people are unhappy, so they do all they can to bring down everyone else? That was this woman, and it was all the women around her, too. You could tell that everyone in the room hated everyone else for reasons that I can't even begin to imagine, but which I'm sure centered around such things as who had the better purse & shoes.

Yeah.

(I should probably point out here that I'm sure there are wonderful temp services staffed by lovely people. This just happened to not be one of them.)

So we sat in a tiny office and this woman glared at me--I am not even joking--for almost 10 minutes while she looked at my resume and listed all the jobs that I could have had if I had come in for an interview sooner. There was lots of disappointed sighing on her part. Meanwhile, I sat under fluorescent lights and felt very small and squirmy and wondered if it would be bad manners to ask to use the restroom and then just slip out the door.

But I stayed.

So after listing all the jobs that would have been perfect for me, this woman looked up and said, "I want to send you out on a job," and then proceeds to describe a job that I had absolutely no qualifications for whatsoever. So I smiled and nodded and nodded and smiled (by the way, here's a tip: any time you find yourself nodding and smiling for more than 5 minutes straight, something is not right) and then said, "Hey, that sounds great, but just so you know, I have no idea how to do any of that."

And just as I was about to launch into my spiel about how I'm a fast learner and how I really really wanted to work again, this woman looks at me and says, "You know, I used to be like that, too, and then I learned to--how should I put this?--get over myself."

Cut to 10 minutes later, and I'm sitting outside crying in some cement garden in Century City. I was convinced that this was going to be my fate, that I was going to end up becoming some pinched, bitter woman who was mean to everyone around me. Everything felt terrible, like it would never be okay again, and I was scared.

I climbed into my car, still sniffling, and turned the radio on. Halfway home, Modest Mouse's "Float On" started to play. "Well, we'll float on, good news is on the way," it sang to me, and I believed it. "Don't worry, even if things end up a bit too heavy, we'll all float on." I turned it up and sang louder all the way back home. "We'll all float on okay!"

And lo, 4 years later, here I was sitting at the Hollywood Bowl last Thursday night, listening to "Float On" being played live while all around me, people danced and sang along. The song was right, it was all okay, and I sang with everyone else and remembered that horrible afternoon when nothing felt good.

It's good to look back sometimes, don't you think?

Modest Mouse, "Float On"

"Don't you worry / Even if things end up a bit too heavy we'll all float on alright..."

After Modest Mouse played, R.E.M. took the stage and proceeded to be freaking amazing. But what really got me was Michael Stipe's introduction to "Electrolite", which is one of my favorite R.E.M. songs. Just in case you can't see the YouTube clip, here's a transcription of his speech:

"It's actually one of my favorite songs, and the reason I'm telling this story here is because this song, for me, kind of embodies the time I lived in Santa Monica for a couple of years with my best friends. Every now and then, they would go on one of those late-night drives where there's no traffic and we'd climb up into the hills and go up to Mulholland and think about all the people that have come through this beautiful city, all the people that are here right now. And so with that, I dedicate this song to the city of Los Angeles, the city of dreams. This is called 'Electrolite'."

R.E.M., "Electrolite"

"If you ever want to fly / Mulholland Drive / Up in the sky / Stand on a cliff and look down there / Don't be scared / You are alive..."

Well, between the "Float On" memories and then this introduction, I just about lost it in the middle of the Hollywood Bowl. I've done that same Mulholland late-night drive more times than I can count, especially during those lean days when I was sick and unemployed and felt about as worthy as pocket lint. And I don't care how cheesy this sounds, but these songs put me back together when I was broken and I will never forget it.

Wow, okay. I hope this didn't sound like the After-School Special of blog posts, but I just wanted to write this down somewhere so I didn't forget it. And I hope that if you're having a bad time right now, you find something that makes you smile, even if it's something as silly as a pop song.

Oh, and P.S. Tomorrow I'm going to shake it up and actually post about books for a change. Get ready, kittens! Haha!

All the stars drip down like butter...

So, cool, first things first. I was on Jonesy's Jukebox a few weeks ago, if you recall. There's a podcast up now, so feel free to listen. Just click on the "4.25.08" date and you're good to go.

Y'know, having listened to the podcast, I realized that I laugh a lot. Maybe that's okay? Maybe I should be more dour? Hmmm. Something to ponder.

And I don't know, maybe you're a different person than me, but have you ever noticed that weeks will go by where nothing happens, and then all of a sudden, KER-POW! It's raining busyness.

Welcome to my life, kittens.

But it's totally fine, since most of said busyness involves concerts and books and friends, including tonight's R.E.M. show! I am so freaking excited, but I'm trying not to overuse the exclamation points. It's hard to rein in my enthusiasm, though, it really is.

But yes, R.E.M. Tonight. Hey, remember when I posted about one of my favorite songs, "Let Me In"? Well, some angelic soul captured an acoustic performance of the song in Vancouver last week.

R.E.M., "Let Me In" (live in Vancouver)

Other than crazy concert stuff, though, life is good. I hung out with my friends Dave & Dara & their son Jackson yesterday. Jackson, it needs to be said, is awesome. He likes Batman, telling me what sound a fish makes ("bubblebubblebubble") and dancing to Vampire Weekend. This song really gets him rocking out.

Vampire Weekend, "A-Punk" "Half of the ring lies here with me / But the other half’s at the bottom of the sea..."

And in case you couldn't tell from looking on the left side of my website, I'm in dire need of a trip to Amoeba. Give me more music recs, people! It's important to stay current, you know.

More tomorrow after my R.E.M. show! Wheeee!

Let's talk, let's talk...

My best friend Adri once said to a Boston cabdriver, "This trip is going to be short in distance [she was going two blocks], but long in tip." Now I'd like to steal that line and make it work for myself.

Ahem.

This post will be short in length, but long in information. At least from this point on.

I did another interview! Hurray! It's right here, so feel free to read & ask me follow-up questions.

Also, I'm doing my very first chat this evening! It's with Enchanting Reviews and all you have to do is click the link below, think up a clever chat name, et fin! (In case it's not obvious, I took spanish in high school, so sometimes I use french phrases that don't make sense. I suspect this is one of those times.)

Chat with Robin Benway, May 14, 2008 at 5p/8e

And finally, don't forget about the "Audrey, Wait!" contest. I know a lot of you (yes, you, I'm looking at you) have told me that you have your own version of "Audrey, Wait!" in your head, so why not share it with the world and win money while you're at it? If I could enter this thing, I'd be all over it. But alas.

Anyway, chat! Come chat with me tonight! And I promise that there will be a cool update tomorrow, complete with music and maybe--just maybe--a playlist for you! Oooh, cliffhanger!

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.

Wanna always feel like part of this was mine...

People.

Today? Is the day.

"Audrey, Wait!" is finally released in stores!

This is all very exciting, of course, and so I thought in order to celebrate, I would post some handy links for you. (They will all be about "Audrey", though, so if you're waiting for links to Youtube videos of sleeping kittens or something like that, keep waiting.)

So anyway. "Audrey, Wait!" Yay!

You can buy it at Amazon, of course, or Powell's, which is a superawesome bookstore in Portland, Oregon. Amazon even has used copies already available, which cracks me up. You can always visit your local bookstore to find "Audrey", but if it's not there, don't panic. Sometimes it takes a few days for the book to land in stores.

The crazy thing is that "Audrey" is also available at Target, which really blows my mind. I mean, I'm in Target every day, buying useful things like Diet Coke and hair conditioner and wedge sandals, so the fact that my book is there is kinda crazy.

But even if you don't buy the book, that's cool! You can head over to the new "Audrey, Wait!" site, where you can make your own tabloid front page or read the first chapter. There's even a Q&A with me, where I talk about exciting things like desert islands and what I want to be when I grow up. Good times!

But here's the best part: there's a contest! Right now, you can download the lyrics for the song "Audrey, Wait!", create your own YouTube video, and upload it for a chance to win fun things like MONEY.

I don't think I can say enough how excited I am to see your videos, so upload away! This is gonna be awesome, I can't wait.

At the end of the day, though, "Audrey, Wait!" is about a girl who loves music. Maybe you're like that, too. Here are three songs off the soundtrack that you might enjoy.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Cheated Hearts"
"Well, sometimes I think that I'm bigger than the sound..."

Jimmy Eat World, "A Praise Chorus"
"I'm on my feet, I'm on the floor, I'm good to go / All I need is just to hear a song I know..."

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, "Whatever Happened to My Rock & Roll?"
"I fell in love with a sweet sensation / I gave my heart to a simple chord / I gave my soul to a new religion..."

Happy day, kittens! I hope yours is as great as mine! xo