Robin Benway

I'll be my own savior...

Hello! Happy spring!

Oh, you’re right, I know, it’s not spring yet, and some of you are probably thinking, “Hey, you haven’t blogged in six months! Don’t come tapdancing back in like everything’s fine!” You would be the observant ones. And I promise that if you make it through the end of this post, there will be puppy pictures, so it’s probably best if you keep reading.

I know my blogging is sporadic, but sometimes I just think, “Oh, people don’t need to know that. They aren’t interested. I should talk about fun things like book covers instead.” But the more I thought about, the more I realized that it’s sort of doing you—the reader—a disservice. Oh hey, look, I’m rambling.

Here’s the deal. Last September, life sort of sent me reeling, as it has a tendency to do. I was in Decatur, Georgia for the Decatur Book Festival when I got word that my stepfather had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, the same disease that stole the life of the wonderful writer LK Madigan. The only way I can describe that disease is that it’s like March: in like a lion, out like a light.

My stepfather passed away 30 days after his diagnosis, pain-free and ready to leave this earth. Not that we were ready to let him go, but that’s the way it is and that’s the way it happens every day. He was incredibly proud of my success as a writer: during the last few days, one of his doctors greeted me with, “Oh, are you the author?”

Just as I was recovering from that loss, my grandmother passed away in early November, three days shy of her 91^st birthday. I loved her more than I could ever eloquently explain in a blog post and not having her around has been difficult. She was the most amazing craftswoman I have ever met: when I was little, she made most of my clothes and stuffed animals, including a pelican with stuffed fish in its beak; she handsewed all of our Christmas ornaments that still hang on our tree today, and in the most spectacular feat of grandmotherhood ever, she sewed a stuffed camel that was wearing a bra. 

Let me explain.

When I was growing up, my favorite poem EVER EVER EVER was “They Put a Brassiere on the Camel” by Shel Silverstein. I especially liked to recite when there were a lot of people around, no doubt to my parents’ thrill. My grandma thought it was the funniest thing she had ever seen and decided to whip up a little something with her sewing machine. The googly eyes really brought the whole thing together. I know I still have that camel somewhere.

After one of our visits, the last thing my grandmother would always say to me was, “Well, we had a few little laughs, Robbie.” I think that’s probably the best attitude to take about life in general. Just have a few little laughs.

(Actually, that’s not true. The last thing she would say was, “When am I going to be a great-grandmother?!”, which WHAHAHAHAHAHAHA oh man *wipes tears of laughter from eyes*)

I have to be honest with you. After all that sadness and loss, I didn’t want to write anything. Writing used to be my safe place and it just up and went camping out in the wilderness for six months. Even my Song of the Day blog wasn’t fun anymore. I needed to recharge, restart, regroup, and whatever other re- words are appropriate here.

So I did what any rational person would do. I moved across town and got a dog. I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY. 

I moved to Silver Lake, which is on the east side of Los Angeles, and depending on traffic and the time of day, it’s easier to get to Arizona than the beach from here. I’ve always heard a lot of rumors about hipsters overrunning this part of town, but from what I can tell, most hipsters are from the Mid-Wilshire area. Just a personal observation.

Moving was sort of a big deal, mostly because I had been living and working in a 500 square foot studio apartment for 13 years. If you want to know what that’s like, gather up all your belongings and move into your closet. It’s a little tight. But now I have 1000 glorious square feet…and not a lot of furniture. A table would really be handy right about now.

But the best part about moving? My lovely office!

Isn’t it cute? It’s actually a closet, but it’s been reappropriated. Oh, the irony.

And then Puppyface came into my life. 

I had been looking for a dog for a while and was insistent on getting a girl dog so I could name her Eleanor Rigby. When I went to the shelter to see a little maltese, though, I could tell that she and I were not a match. She was the size of an aspirin and had enough energy to power a rocketship. The woman at the shelter suggested I see the maltese’s cratemate, a little boy shih-tzu named Gage. I said yes, mostly because I didn’t want to be judged by all the shelter employees.

It was love at first sight.

Gage was eighteen months old when they found him on the 110 freeway in south LA. That’s right. ON THE 110 FREEWAY. That’s how he got his name; they found him near the Gage offramp. He barely weighed twelve pounds, so how he survived on the freeway is anyone’s guess. I have a nice big car and I can barely handle the 110 freeway.

Now Gage is named Hudson and he is the sweetest lovebug ever. He often gives me looks that seem to suggest that he’s barely tolerating my shenanigans. In other words, he’s Ron Swanson.

Another fun thing about having a dog is that you find yourself screaming things at the top of your lungs, like “OMG DON'T EAT THAT DOG'S POOP!” and “OMG ARE YOU CHEWING GUM?!” (Hand to God, both incidents happened. We’re fine now.)

Diva puppy.

 

Another wonderful thing about Hudson is that he made me want to start writing again. Not that he knows this, of course, but having him around puts a new energy into the air. So I decided to start slow and write a FAQ about myself. Hud thinks this is over the top, but then again, he’s not the one getting questions for people’s book reports. Although he might after people read this blog.

Now someone is insisting that I cuddle him, so I hope you are all lovely and stomping towards spring. Thank you for reading my ramblings, both on this website and elsewhere. You make me very, very happy.

France! Mission Viejo Readers Festival! Censorship! Oh my!

Why helloooooo, you sparkly people.

Hey, look, I'm blogging AGAIN! Surely this is a record for me. I'm so glad you were here to witness it.

I have a bunch of things going on right now, very few of which I can tell you about. I know, I'm a tease, I'm sorry. The things I CAN tell you about, though, are very exciting. Probably so exciting that you'll forgive my nasty reticence. 

First off, "April, May & June" is a bestseller in France! I read this news on my iPhone while in bed, one eye barely open, before I even had my coffee, which made it even more exciting when I almost fell on the floor in surprise! Thank you very, very much to my wonderful publisher Editions Nathan, my editor Céline, and my french co-agent Michèle. I was lucky enough to have lunch with Céline and Michèle when I was in Paris last June and it was an absolutely lovely meal, as most Paris meals can be. Anyway, if you bought the book, read it, and are currently browsing this page thanks to Google Translate, thank you very, very much. 

Another exciting thing is that I'm going to be at the Mission Viejo Readers' Festival this weekend! When I was first invited to this festival, I actually started to cry happy tears because I spent many, many hours of my childhood trekking to the Mission Viejo Library with my mom and brother, reading all the books that we used to see on "Reading Rainbow", like "Bea & Mr. Jones" and "Frog & Toad Are Friends". To be invited to speak as an author at my old public library is really a thrill. 

(You totally want to sing the theme song with me, don't you? You so do. Here, I'll start. "Butterflies in the skyyyyyy...")

2010 MISSION VIEJO READERS' FESTIVAL
Saturday, September 25, 4-5pm (signing to follow)
Jacaranda Room
Panel with authors Paula Yoo, Tracy Trivas & Marlene Perez

In other exciting festival news, I'll also be appearing at the Orange County Children's Book Festival next Sunday, October 3. It's at Orange County College (OCC) and includes free parking! I know that probably doesn't sound like a big deal to you, but I live in Los Angeles and when I hear the words "free parking", you might as well be yelling, "There's a shoe clearance sale at Nordstrom!" in my ear, that's how happy it makes me. 

I'll have more info later next week, but mark your calendars or update the calendar app on your iAppliance, whatever you need to do.

I have to say, I love festival appearances. I get to meet fans, talk to other authors, and sign books, which always makes me happy. I was at the Decatur Book Festival in Georgia over Labor Day weekend, and I met so many wonderful readers and bloggers. Here's a picture of the day's end results: post-its, Sharpies, and a beautiful paper swan from a fan. (It's still sitting on my dresser, of course.)

A job well done, I'd say.

More blogging next week, I think. It's Banned Books Week and even though you already know how I feel about book banning, I still have Things to Say. Things like, "ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME WITH THIS???" Sigh.

Also, it's almost the one-year anniversary of my little song of the day blog, The Songs that Saved Your Life, so I'm trying to think of a way to celebrate. Maybe Reader Participation Week? We'll see.

Stay safe and happy!

RB xo

Why I'm Angry about Censorship

You’re going to have to indulge me today.

I know I tend to blog about funny things, sweet things, ideas that make me happy and proud. I like that I have a sense of humor and can make light of most things that happen in my oddball little life.

Today, however, is not that day.

I heard about Ellen Hopkins being uninvited to the Humble ISD Teen Lit Festival several days ago and the subsequent author withdrawals. I should probably say here that I’ve never met Ellen, Melissa de la Cruz, Pete Hautman, Tera Lynn Childs, Matt de la Peña, or any of the authors involved in the festival. I don’t know them, but I like their work, I’ve heard that they are lovely people, and I appreciate the fact that we’re all YA authors. I like that we’re part of an amazing writing community that, for lack of a more eloquent statement, has each other’s backs.

I should also say that as far as censorship or book banning goes, I haven’t really been affected by it. I don’t discuss the complex subjects in my writing that Ellen tackles in hers, such as incest, drug use, and abuse, but I know these issues exist, of course, and I’m grateful that we have gifted authors who can write about them. In my case, I’ve received some angry emails from librarians, teachers, and parents who didn’t like the number of f-words in my first book, “Audrey, Wait!” I still stand by every word of that book, so I can handle those emails and politely respond to them. It’s a small price to pay for being able to write the books I want to write.

Which I guess brings me to my point.

As authors, we can defend ourselves. We can say, “This isn’t okay” when our appearances are cancelled (and they are cancelled far more often than you realize), when our books are banned, when concerned parents force them to be pulled off library shelves. We can blog and protest and stand up for our right to talk about difficult subjects. I’m not worried about us.

I’m worried about the readers.

Here’s who I can’t stop thinking about.

Let’s say there’s a girl in Humble, Texas. We’ll call her Girl A. Let's say that she attends high school in this town and, based on nationwide statistics, let's also say that she’s being sexually abused by her stepfather. Or uncle. Or father. Or grandfather. Or whoever. And she hears about this author who writes books about girls—about people—just like her. People who are violated or addicted or hurt in ways that almost seem irreparable. She has something with which she can identify, something that makes her realize that she’s not alone.

And then her school district bans those books or keeps that author from speaking to her.

Basically, they are saying to Girl A, "These things that happen to you? They are so bad that we can’t even talk about them. And neither should you."

I can’t be sure, but if this school is like any other school in America, they probably encourage kids to come to them with their problems. Feeling suicidal/abused/hurt? Talk to a counselor. Troubles at home? Let us know, we’re here for you. And yet when authors dare to raise these issues in fiction, to present them in a way that’s safe and allows teenagers to discuss them, they’re shut down.

I am not okay with this.

Writers don’t invent these problems; we reflect the world that we see. For me, I find the humor in slightly bizarre situations. For other writers, they find the dark things and they cast a much-needed light on them. Personally, I would like to think that all of my readers have wonderful lives. I want to think that they are adored and loved by the adults in their lives, that they have strong role models, that they don’t need to numb themselves with drugs or alcohol or razorblades. I know, however, that this isn’t true, and my heart breaks for these kids. My heart breaks for Girl A in Humble, Texas.

What if Girl A hears about the adults that have kept Ellen or her books out of her school district? What if these adults were the ones that Girl A thought she could confide in? Those parents, that librarian, that administrator? What if she hears that they suddenly don’t want these things—these terrible things that Girl A lives with every day and night—in their schools, even in fiction? If these subjects make adults so uncomfortable that they can’t even talk about them, then who’s going to listen to Girl A when she finally has something to say?

This isn’t just about Girl A, though. This is about the kid who can’t stop the suicidal thoughts, the girl who stays with her boyfriend even when he doesn’t take “No” for an answer, that beautiful redhead who loves meth almost as much as the guy who gave it to her, the boy who’s beaten by his mother or bullied to the point where he can’t take it anymore.

Ideally, nothing bad will ever happen to these kids. But it might. And then the newscameras will come, and the neighbors will be interviewed, and parents will hug their children and they’ll say, “We didn’t know they were in so much pain! Why didn’t they come to us? Why didn’t they say anything?”

Why? Because these kids thought that nobody wanted to talk about it.

In reading about this book festival and its “uninvitation”, I’m so, so thrilled to see the overwhelming outpouring of support from parents, teachers, and librarians in the Humble area, as well as the greater literary community. These are people who are standing up against censorship, who are supporting a writer’s choice to tackle these issues, who realize that kids deserve as much of a voice as adults, no matter how difficult the subject. When you censor ideas, you censor the kids in your community. You negate their feelings, their experiences, their lives, and that’s not okay.

It is not okay.

What I Did the Day My Book Came Out

Hello friends!

So. It's happened. THE EXTRAORDINARY SECRETS OF APRIL, MAY & JUNE has hit the shelves! Hopefully you've been able to find yourself a copy and have enjoyed it immensely! Have you seen its snazzy webpage yet?  www.extraordinarysecrets.com I just love it. 

I've thought about writing this blog for awhile. What's it like the day your book comes out? This is only the second time this has happened to me, but for some reason, I was crazy nervous this time around. As you can see, there was absolutely no reason to be nervous...BUT STILL. It's crazymaking to have a book come out, which is why I was so happy that August 3rd finally arrived.

Also, I have a very fun weekend coming up involving a booksigning for "AMJ" right here in Los Angeles, so please don't think that I didn't have any fun on my big release day or that none of my friends remembered. Boy howdy, did they remember! And if you'd like to join us on Sunday, please do! The more the merrier! Oh, God, what am I going to wear?!

SUNDAY, AUGUST 8 AT 3PM
DIESEL BOOKSTORE
The Brentwood Country Mart
225 26th Street, Suite 33
Santa Monica, CA 90402
310.576.9960

So now here's my little log of AMJ's release day. I hope you'll still respect me after reading it.

(PS You're all still following April, May & June on Twitter, right? Riiiight.)

WHAT I DID THE DAY MY BOOK CAME OUT - AN ERRATIC & NOT ENTIRELY RELIABLE TIMELINE OF EVENTS BY ROBIN BENWAY

6:55am - Wake up to the sound of sputtering coffeemaker. Decide that if coffeemaker breaks the day of my book release, I'll cry.

6:57am - Coffeemaker is not broken! HAPPY RELEASE DAY FOR "AMJ"! Bounce (well, crawl) out of bed and stumble into kitchen while still wearing sleepmask over one eye. Give coffeemaker its morning hug.

7:00am - Put on NPR and start doing French homework for that morning's class. Listen to a story about Roger Korman while conjugating -er verbs. Rely on Google Translate heavily. Practice saying useful phrases such as, J'aime une tasse de café and Voulez-vous lire mon livre? Note that I have been out of high school for 15 years and I'm still doing homework the morning that it's due. Pat self on the back for being so reliable.

7:23am - Receive congratulatory email from the awesome team at Razorbill that reads in part, "We are singing you our Happy Pub Day song, a song we will be singing to you all day long! It's a kind of Alvin & the Chipmunks thing and we do it in harmonic electronic falsetto--I'm sure you'll appreciate this." They know me so well.

8:00am - Read so many nice emails, texts, and Twitter comments about "AMJ" that I maybe or maybe not get a little misty and have to find a tissue. And more coffee.

9:28am - Drive like a bat out of hell while balancing a mug of coffee (cannot find travel mug in cupboard) and singing along with Florence + the Machine. Pass woman who is hula-hooping and singing into a microphone in her front yard. Admire her free-spiritedness while being very grateful that I am not her. Turn up Florence a little louder and start to do hand motions while singing along. Recognize the irony and recall Little Brother's recent text: "Remember, your car windows aren't tinted anymore." Noted.

9:30am - Find perfect metered parking spot and race into class. 

11:45am - Learn how to say, "And that's why I drink," in French while roleplaying a scene between a drunk, an instructor, and a sad person who are all taking aquatic dancing classes at the local pool. French class has just paid for itself.

12:31pm - PARKING TICKET. $45 for being in the space too long, even though there's still money in the meter. Perfect metered parking spot is no longer so perfect. Start referring to meter maid as "Captain No-Fun".

1:16pm - Open kitchen cupboard and nearly get beaned by travel coffee mug. Found it!

2:20pm - Start doing interview for "How I Travel" over at bootsnall.com. Feel extremely unadventurous and apologetic for liking hotels over camping tents and for never ever EVER OH MY GOD NEVER EVER wanting to swim with sharks.

3:15pm - Receive first book stalker email photo from Mom. 

  

"Just happened to see this at Barnes & Noble in Palm Desert," the email says. Note that Mom lives 20 miles away from said bookstore. Suspect that everyone in B&N now knows that her daughter's book is out today and that she is my mother and wouldn't they like to buy a copy? Or maybe they'd like a knuckle sandwich instead? Watch local news to make sure Mom does not appear on it.

4:30pm - STILL WRITING TRAVEL INTERVIEW. Guesstimate that I could have flown to Italy & back in the time it takes me to do interviews. 

4:55pm - Receive second book stalker photo from Mom, along with accompanying email that reads, "Ditto Borders! YAY!!!!"

 

Borders has my book on the shelves, which means she is no longer boycotting Borders. They are no doubt thrilled to hear this news. Also, become convinced that she is the one who faced out "AMJ" on the shelf, since she has a tendency to reshuffle YA sections in favor of me. Decide that my mom is the bestest.

5:10pm - Get ready to post today's Song of the Day from the "April, May & June" soundtrack: "Glosoli" by Sigur Rós. Try to decipher lyrics before deciding that Icelandic looks like the Rorschach test of languages.

7:00pm - Celebratory dinner with Little Brother! Taco Tuesday at the Reel Inn in Malibu! Brother listens to country music on the radio. I use subpar telepathy skills to try & change the channel. We agree that we both dislike Brad Paisley intensely. "His head is too small!" I say. Brother replies, "Um, what?" This is how most of our conversations go.

8:45pm - Realize that I have still not seen a finished copy of "AMJ" yet. 

9:00pm - Get a "Yay you!" phone call from best friend Adri, who lives on the east coast, where it's past midnight. Says she'll be up for "awhile". Start to suspect that best friend Adri is really just a very nice vampire since she never seems to sleep...

9:30pm - ...unlike me. Crash in bed with sleep mask, earplugs, coffeemaker locked & loaded for tomorrow morning, and two homeless men arguing outside.

What a fun day! Seriously, having "AMJ" published is a long-realized hope that finally happened on Tuesday. I love my book, I love my characters, and I love that people have embraced it so warmly. Thank you so much for all the lovely notes and messages and good thoughts. May they all come tenfold back to you.

Not a whisper nor word, then all at once...

Happy New Year! New decade! And not a minute too soon, if you ask me.

This was only the third decade I've ever lived through, but it was hands-down the craziest one I ever had. I basically went through my 20s in the past ten years. If you've already survived your 20s, then you know what I'm talking about. If you're currently going through them, good luck & Godspeed. And if you haven't hit that magical 2-0 yet, well, buckle up and bring a toothbrush, because it's a pretty interesting trip.

The funny thing about the last decade is that so many things happened to me that it's hard to quantify, but I'll give it a shot anyway. Here we go.

I had an awesome job, got laid off, learned how to edit radio programs, got humiliated at a temp agency, became a PR director at Book Soup in West Hollywood, and once gave George Plimpton a ride in my 1997 Saturn after his car got towed during a book signing. (Ask me about that some time, it's a pretty great story.)

I became so anemic that my doctors wanted to give me a blood transfusion (my reaction: "You're funny."), got diagnosed with celiac disease and Type 1 diabetes, and quickly got over my fear of needles. I then got super healthy, once ran 7 miles in just over an hour, and still never mastered a headstand in yoga. (I don't like when all the blood rushes to my head.) 

I lost three grandparents and my father.

I quit a great job on a whim and wrote a book called "Audrey, Wait!", then watched as it sold in the United States and 13 other countries. I got emails from some of the funniest readers and authors I could ever hope to meet. I learned that writing a second book is way more difficult than writing a first book. (Waaaaay more difficult. Good Lord.)

I went to Italy for two weeks with my mom, became a vegetarian, went to my grandmother's 90th birthday party, and spent two days haggling at a car dealership for a new car. I got a great deal. They hated me. ("You treated us a like a bakery!" one salesman told me after I signed on the dotted line. I took it as a compliment.)

And I still never got a dog.

If there's one thing I've learned over the past ten years, it's that it's a crazy ride and it's fun and horrific and scary and wonderful. There were times that I thought I'd never feel better, and then there were times when I though I could never feel happier. I can't wait to see what happens in the next decade. I hope it's as amazing as its predecessor.

But enough about the last ten years. Let's get nitpicky and focus on 2009. It was pretty awesome.

THE 10 BEST THINGS IN MY 2009

FAVORITE YOUTUBE VIDEO

Surprised Kitty

I'll admit it, I cried when I saw this. Like, actual tears born of extreme cuteness. Its little face! Its tiny paws! I am thisclose to becoming a crazy cat lady now and I don't even own a cat.

FAVORITE IM CONVERSATION

My mom and I discussing cats and hats, which turned into a conversation about Britney and fedoras. You'll see.

Me: Cats with hats. Discuss

Mom: The eyes on that cat are so BIG.

Mom: Like, "What's happening?!"

Me: "Where are my ears?!"

Mom: I don't think that would stay on very long unless it was pinned somehow.

Me: I think you're still scared from having a daughter that never wore hats.

Mom: You still don't.

Me: That's because they make me look stupid.

Mom: You could never look stupid!

Me: I seem to be on a quest to prove you wrong on that point.

Mom: I like fedoras.

Mom: But I don't own a fedora.

Me: The day you show up in a fedora is the day I die of a heart attack.

Mom: Didn't Johanna's sister wear one one when we all went out for Mother's Day a few years ago?

Mom: AND

Mom: Doesn't Britney wear one?

Me: Yes, but Johanna's sister was 17.

Me: And Britney is...Britney.

Mom: Well, I'll just look for a fedora that looks good on a 59 1/2 year old person.

This is my genetic legacy, people.

FAVORITE WEBSITE

FreeRice.com

This is genius if you're a do-gooder/word junkie/procrastinator like me. You just play along and for every word you get right, 10 grains of rice are donated through the World Food Programme. Easy, right? Right!

FAVORITE CONCERT

Regina Spektor at the Greek Theater

Once again, it's nearly impossible to choose. I saw so many great bands this year! Neko! Phoenix! M83! They were all phenomenal, but I think Regina the winner. I first saw her in 2002, way back when she was opening for Kings of Leon & The Strokes, and it was awesome to see her seven years later. She was so brilliant and charming, it was the first fall night of the year so the air was all crisp, and I went with my friend Leslie, who warned me beforehand that she was probably going to sing along. Pretty cool.

FAVORITE SONG

"Have You Got It In You", Imogen Heap

You may have heard that I have a Song of the Day blog, where I basically post songs that I like. I've heard so many songs this year that I loved, but I'm going to change the rules a bit and pick the song that had such an influence on me while I was writing my new book, "The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, & June". I listened to it whenever I was stuck on a scene or frustrated and wanted to delete the entire manuscript. (Helpful Tip Alert: Don't delete your entire manuscript.)

FAVORITE ALBUM

Neko Case, "Middle Cyclone"

So this year, I got a little overenthusiastic and featured not one but TEN of my favorite albums on my music blog. If you saw that feature, then you'll know this album was my all-time favorite this year. I just think she can sing like a hurricane and she's awesome, that's all. No biggie.

FAVORITE BOOK

"Columbine", Dave Cullen

I didn't want to read this book at all, much less on the 10-year anniversary of the horrific Columbine massacre, but once I started, I couldn't put it down. I read the first 100 pages in one sitting, it's that good. It's about so much more than two deranged kids. It's about parenting and friendship and the state of current journalism in America. It shows all the different ways that a community can be torn apart and put back together, and it examines all the different angles of Columbine with clear eyes and the dignity they deserve. You can't ask for much more than that.

FAVORITE TV SHOW

"Glee"

Like you even had to ask.

FAVORITE MOVIE MOMENT

Jimmy Page, The Edge, & Jack White singing "The Weight" at the end of "It Might Get Loud"

I got goosebumps in the theater. Plus, watch for Jack White's hilarious one-sentence commentary on a Hollywood executive.

FAVORITE PERSON OF THE YEAR

Whoa, how'd you win two years in a row?! Well, whatever you did, it worked because you even managed to beat out Lady Gaga. Once again, if you're reading this blog or sending me wonderful emails, following me on Twitter, or even if you're too shy to say hello, thank you a million times over. The past year would have been much more difficult if it wasn't for all the amazing fans and fellow writers that I've been able to meet. I am so lucky and blessed and happy to know all of you. Let's talk soon in 2010!

You were always singing along...

OH MY GOD IT'S HERE!

I've been waiting for this for at least 3 months now and I can't even tell you how happy it makes me to share this with you. Are you ready? Okay, brace yourself, here's the big news:

I GOT NEW LAMPS!

Teehee, okay, that's not really the big news. (Although I DID just get new lamps and they are completely awesome.) 

Here's the real big news. Yesterday a package was delivered to my door and because this news is so exciting, I'm going to refrain from complaining about my UPS delivery person, who knocks on my door like there's a fire, then drops the package and runs away. (If you're reading this, UPS delivery person, STOP DOING THAT.)

But all was forgiven (at least temporarily) when I opened the package to discover galleys of "THE EXTRAORDINARY SECRETS OF APRIL, MAY & JUNE"!

To say I was excited was an understatement. I may have even sniffled a little and gotten teary-eyed. My little Word document is now a book. They grow up so fast. Here, see for yourself!

(Click on the image for hi-res)

Oh man, there are few things better than getting a copy of your new book in the mail. 

So just to refresh, "AMJ" will be out next August, which I know feels like a million years away, but we all know how fast time flies. October moved so fast that I barely had time to enjoy it! And did I mention that my friends Leslie and I got to see Regina Spektor in concert last week? If you have an opportunity to see her live, go go go! She's incredible. 

Also, don't forget that I have a daily music blog. I love having a daily musical diary and I'm trying to post all different kinds of music, so feel free to check it out and find some new song that you'll hopefully love.

Speaking of my music blog, I was discussing it with my wonderful brother the other night. If you've been a long-time reader, you know that my brother & I have different musical tastes, to put it mildly. Observe.

CHATTING ABOUT MUSIC: A CONTINUING SERIES

Me: I'm picking my song right now for tomorrow's music blog post.

Me: Any recs?

Brother: "When You Were Young" by the Killers

Me: Ooh, that IS a good song!

Brother: Really, I've never heard it. I just Googled the coolest band I could think of.

Me: You've never heard that song? Really?!

Brother: I probably have.

Brother: I don't know titles.

Me: Okay, I'm gonna send you a song right now, tell me if you like it.

Brother: Cool!

Me: Just listen real quick.

Brother: I like it!!

Me: Dude.

Me: I haven't sent it yet.

Brother: Oh.

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!"

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. 

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)