Fondue Fridays
- where everyone dips in, and everything comes up cheesy -
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The three of us were looking for a new excuse to get together to talk about writing. Then someone shouted, “Fondue!” We couldn’t decide on one general theme to discuss, so we’re going to have a Potluck Fondue…with a twist. One Mermaid will ask another Mermaid, “Blog or Dare?” If they choose Blog, they have to comment on a given topic. If they choose Dare, anything goes. So we placed a laptop on a Lazy-Susan, flexed our fingers…and got bloggin’.
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Jay: Alright, I’ll start. Eve, Blog or Dare?
Eve: Blog. No, Dare. No, Blog!
Jay: What’s your most embarrassing author experience?
Eve: When I first started writing I attended a SCBWI retreat where we read our manuscripts in front of an editor and Sue Alexander. When I finished reading my dreadful three chapters Sue said, “If this is the best you got, you should quit writing.” Robin, Blog or Dare?
Robin: Um…Blog.
Eve: If you were stuck on a deserted island with one children’s book author, who would it be? And why?
Robin: I’d have to say Louis Sachar, because he’s the reason I first decided to start writing for kids. I read “Sideways Stories from Wayside School” out loud to my fifth grade class and they absolutely cracked up. I want to be him!
Jay: Gee, that was funny.
Robin: Fine, Jay. Let me give you some of this: Blog or Dare!?
Jay: Dare me, baby.
Robin: I dare you to go to GottaBook’s blog and leave the following question…Can I be in the next Harry Potter movie? (and ask with a thick English accent)
Jay: Oh, cuz Arthur Levine’s his new editor. Nice, Robin. Alright. I'll do it. He’ll probably cast me as Hermione. Hmm...Eve, Blog or Dare?
Eve: Dare!
Jay: Let’s see. Go to the SCBWI Discussion Board and ask if anyone knows of an editor who would be interested in a funny picture book about a puppy with cancer.
Eve: No problem. Tasteless? Yes. But funny! It’ll be a good experiment to see what kind of feedback I get. Robin, Blog or Dare?
Robin: Dare. I think…
Eve: You have to do it! Go to Gordon Korman’s website and click on “contact info.” E-mail him and tell him to check out the blog post you wrote about him last week on our blog.
Robin: Did it. Now I’m ’bout to puke. I think this game is over.
Jay: Okay, that was a really short Fondue.
Eve: Blog. No, Dare. No, Blog!
Jay: What’s your most embarrassing author experience?
Eve: When I first started writing I attended a SCBWI retreat where we read our manuscripts in front of an editor and Sue Alexander. When I finished reading my dreadful three chapters Sue said, “If this is the best you got, you should quit writing.” Robin, Blog or Dare?
Robin: Um…Blog.
Eve: If you were stuck on a deserted island with one children’s book author, who would it be? And why?
Robin: I’d have to say Louis Sachar, because he’s the reason I first decided to start writing for kids. I read “Sideways Stories from Wayside School” out loud to my fifth grade class and they absolutely cracked up. I want to be him!
Jay: Gee, that was funny.
Robin: Fine, Jay. Let me give you some of this: Blog or Dare!?
Jay: Dare me, baby.
Robin: I dare you to go to GottaBook’s blog and leave the following question…Can I be in the next Harry Potter movie? (and ask with a thick English accent)
Jay: Oh, cuz Arthur Levine’s his new editor. Nice, Robin. Alright. I'll do it. He’ll probably cast me as Hermione. Hmm...Eve, Blog or Dare?
Eve: Dare!
Jay: Let’s see. Go to the SCBWI Discussion Board and ask if anyone knows of an editor who would be interested in a funny picture book about a puppy with cancer.
Eve: No problem. Tasteless? Yes. But funny! It’ll be a good experiment to see what kind of feedback I get. Robin, Blog or Dare?
Robin: Dare. I think…
Eve: You have to do it! Go to Gordon Korman’s website and click on “contact info.” E-mail him and tell him to check out the blog post you wrote about him last week on our blog.
Robin: Did it. Now I’m ’bout to puke. I think this game is over.
Jay: Okay, that was a really short Fondue.
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[The Disco Mermaids are officially cut off from consuming anymore chocolate chip cookies and Coca-Cola Zero.]
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To see Jay's comment on Gregory K.'s GottaBook blog, click here.
Eve's question can be found on SCBWI's Discussion Board under Publishing Tips, Techniques, and Questions.
Robin did receive a response from Gordon Korman...but she ain't talking!
12 comments:
What a wonderful way to start my day! Thanks for the laughs, guys!
Your comment made our day, Anne Marie. Thank you!
We had so much fun doing this, and making sure that each other actually completed the Dares, that you can be sure we'll do more.
You guys are funny, and scary! Remind me to run for the door if any of you ever ask, "Hey, ya wanna play this fun game?"
Did S.A really say that to you? Because that sounds really cruel.
Oh no, Debbie. It wasn't that way at all! S.A. is the sweetest thing. She was just being honest, and we were all drinking wine and being sarcastic (yes, we got a little loose at the Catholic Retreat Center during the retreat! The nuns won't let us go back.).
BUT, she was correct, and I needed a lot of education to become a decent writer. It was THAT bad! See my "Puppy Cancer" post for verification. And ask Jay...he has the ms. He uses it when he needs a good laugh!
-Eve
(Yes, Debby, 'scary' is a good word to describe us. But in a fun way.)
Puppy with cancer. Very funny. I hope you do this again sometime soon.
Oh My God! Jay, you need to work on your British accent. Good luck on getting a role! Now, if I could only get on the SCBWI site to see the feedback Eve got about the Puppy Cancer book, I'm sure I'd be snorting my drink out my nose (good thing it's water and not tequila is all I'm sayin'). Eve and I have already discussed changing the book a little so it's not so "heavy," like the puppy should have mange or a flea infestation. Maybe you could get a role in THAT movie!!!!! Lamy
Lors of fun, Jay.
thanks for the laugh, people!
Oh man, I haven't laughed this hard since...since the last time I read this blog! Thanks for the giggle-fest!
Ahhhh, no I understand that rogue comment. I admit it made me smile, but I wasn't quite clear WHY it was on my blog.
It also reminds me of the joke about the "naive young starlet" who wanted a part in a movie so she slept with the screenwriter. But still, at least you've asked :-)
See y'all in under two weeks!
haha--this is great. And please, I hope nobody says that I'd be the editor interested in a funny book about a puppy with cancer...
Fantastic game! Please do more!
Ooh, and someday, can you invite guest victims -- er, players -- to join you?
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