Later today we're throwing a raging fiesta for Jay...our San Luis Obispo Children's Writers group has been fantasizing for years about having a rager for the first one of us to get a book contract. And the winner is...JAY ASHER!!
The coolest part is that we're having it at Linnea's...the little coffee/pastry/garden/lunch joint that Jay, Robin and I claimed as our official writing spot when we met four years ago. It's our second home; if ever I can't locate Jay or Robin on the phone or e-mail, I check Linnea's...and that's where I find them! Like the other night...I hadn't talked to Jay in about 3 hours (usually I panic if we don't speak every hour). I ran all over downtown yelling his name, asking people if they'd seen him, and was about to call the police and check the hospital when I spotted the little "Linnea's Cafe" sign in the distance. Of course! How could I be so silly? I spotted the back of his head and the blue and green plaid button-down shirt that Robin and I had given him last summer. Were those sweat marks running down his back?
He was in front of his laptop, at his usual little table against the wall, behind resident little schizophrenic-guy who creates squiggles in a notebook 12 hours a day while talking to himself and guarding a jar of sea worms that adorns his table.
"Dude, I gotta edit," is all Jay said. He turned away from me and put his hands back on the sides of his head, resting his elbows on the table.
As I stood there with nothing to do or say, I looked around at our little writing joint. I realized how lucky we are to have our little "Sex And The City-esque" place where we always meet to write, talk, laugh, eat, read, and get away from the responsibilities of home and work. There is a strange cast of local wackos who hang out there, the freaky music always skips, the internet never works, and it's always freezing. But, we love that the coffee is great, there's ever-changing funky art on the wall, and it's not a Starbucks-like pick up joint...so nobody bugs us. We love it!
So, today, Linnea's will be closed just for us, so we can toast Jay and his mega-success, see old friends, eat cake and be merry. Then, after we clean up, Jay, Robin and I will no doubt bust out our laptops, rest our heads in our hands...and WRITE!
PARTY ON, DUDES!!! CHEERS TO JAY!!!
-Eve
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Sign here…and here…and here—Robin
Thursdays are now my lucky day. This afternoon I signed with an agent! What a wild experience this has been.
You may have read in my previous post that I had FOUR agents interested in my manuscript. Basically, they were all willing to work with me, just to varying degrees. I had to go with the one with the most enthusiasm, the best ideas and the biggest love for chocolate.
And I found her! Woohoo! The wonderful (and at times horrifying) part of working with this agent was what I went through before I signed on the line. She read my middle grade book. And liked it! But she wanted more. So I sent her my chapter book. And the YA I’m currently working on. And the other middle grade book I just started. I almost sent her my grade school report card, but then I remembered that ‘C’ I got in my sixth grade grammar class. Mrs. Bullock was a very tough teacher. (But looks at me now, Mrs. Bullock!)
The best part was when she picked up the phone and called me after reading my chapter book. “I just finished reading it and it’s adorable!” my agent said. “I just had to call you!” my agent said. (I’m still shocked that I’m putting the words ‘my’ and ‘agent’ in a sentence… right next to each other! Woohoo!)
By the way, I think people who slip the phrase “my agent” into conversation are snobs. And the flipping of the hair thing doesn’t help either.
But that’s what I USED to think! Now I know they’re saying it because they’re proud of themselves for getting off the couch and writing something they’ve always wanted to write and had the guts to send it out into the world knowing people would use it for a bird cage liner or fuel for their small campfire, and yet they didn’t care because it’s their passion in life!
(And maybe these people flip their hair because it’s getting in their eyes. That’s all.)
Anyways, I could not have made this decision without the help of my adorable friends, Jay and Eve. While I pondered and grappled and contemplated, they kept refilling my glass. Thanks guys!
And so, just for today, I’m going to flip my hair and stick my nose in the air and tell everyone about MY AGENT!
Because tomorrow it’s back to story plotting, laundry, revising, cleaning up cat puke, and getting rid of the hangover that Jay and Eve forced upon me. But I’ll still have my nose in the air. (Have you ever smelled cat puke?)
--Robin
You may have read in my previous post that I had FOUR agents interested in my manuscript. Basically, they were all willing to work with me, just to varying degrees. I had to go with the one with the most enthusiasm, the best ideas and the biggest love for chocolate.
And I found her! Woohoo! The wonderful (and at times horrifying) part of working with this agent was what I went through before I signed on the line. She read my middle grade book. And liked it! But she wanted more. So I sent her my chapter book. And the YA I’m currently working on. And the other middle grade book I just started. I almost sent her my grade school report card, but then I remembered that ‘C’ I got in my sixth grade grammar class. Mrs. Bullock was a very tough teacher. (But looks at me now, Mrs. Bullock!)
The best part was when she picked up the phone and called me after reading my chapter book. “I just finished reading it and it’s adorable!” my agent said. “I just had to call you!” my agent said. (I’m still shocked that I’m putting the words ‘my’ and ‘agent’ in a sentence… right next to each other! Woohoo!)
By the way, I think people who slip the phrase “my agent” into conversation are snobs. And the flipping of the hair thing doesn’t help either.
But that’s what I USED to think! Now I know they’re saying it because they’re proud of themselves for getting off the couch and writing something they’ve always wanted to write and had the guts to send it out into the world knowing people would use it for a bird cage liner or fuel for their small campfire, and yet they didn’t care because it’s their passion in life!
(And maybe these people flip their hair because it’s getting in their eyes. That’s all.)
Anyways, I could not have made this decision without the help of my adorable friends, Jay and Eve. While I pondered and grappled and contemplated, they kept refilling my glass. Thanks guys!
And so, just for today, I’m going to flip my hair and stick my nose in the air and tell everyone about MY AGENT!
Because tomorrow it’s back to story plotting, laundry, revising, cleaning up cat puke, and getting rid of the hangover that Jay and Eve forced upon me. But I’ll still have my nose in the air. (Have you ever smelled cat puke?)
--Robin
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Rub-a-Dub-Dub -- Jay
On the phone. At home. In the coffee shop. Wherever two or more Disco Mermaids gather, there you shall find talk of children’s books…mostly in regards to writing them or convincing editors and agents to read them. Recently, here’s how conversations have started:
“So, Jay, how’s the editing going? Did your brilliant editor have any more incredible ideas on how to make your book even better?”
“Eve, has your brilliant agent heard from any of the editors yet?”
“Robin, have you decided which agent you’re leaning towards? You know, which is the most brilliant?”
And honestly, it’s been getting kind of stressful. True, even before our run of Disco Mermaid luck all we ever talked about was writing. But lately, it’s been almost too much. Not only do we stress for ourselves, we stress for each other. In fact, Robin’s husband noticed this and told us we should get together, hang out, and not talk shop. That was followed by a three-person chorus of, “Not possible!”
Earlier this week, Robin and I went to Eve’s house to write the third installment of our Fondue Friday series. First, of course, we had to eat. So we barbequed some chicken and sat down for a nice meal where we talked about our families, our childhood dining rituals, music, and politics. But we didn’t talk about books.
Then our attention drifted through the dining room window to the beautiful rock Jacuzzi recently built into Eve’s backyard. Did I mention the waterfall yet? No, I don’t think I did. This thing has a waterfall and a wading pool and is absolutely beautiful. So we took a dip into the bubbling water and talked about things we haven’t talked about in approximately forever. Then we sat around the fire pit (also rock, beautiful, and new!) and laughed while Eve tried to keep the fire burning without getting smoke in her eyes.
“Not possible!”
Basically, we got reacquainted as friends who also happen to write children’s books. Truly a beautiful evening...spent in a hot tub with two beautiful women!*
- Jay
*Fine! Robin and Eve are making me say that Eve's husband and Robin's son were also in the Jacuzzi. Geez! No one appreciates creative nonfiction anymore.
“So, Jay, how’s the editing going? Did your brilliant editor have any more incredible ideas on how to make your book even better?”
“Eve, has your brilliant agent heard from any of the editors yet?”
“Robin, have you decided which agent you’re leaning towards? You know, which is the most brilliant?”
And honestly, it’s been getting kind of stressful. True, even before our run of Disco Mermaid luck all we ever talked about was writing. But lately, it’s been almost too much. Not only do we stress for ourselves, we stress for each other. In fact, Robin’s husband noticed this and told us we should get together, hang out, and not talk shop. That was followed by a three-person chorus of, “Not possible!”
Earlier this week, Robin and I went to Eve’s house to write the third installment of our Fondue Friday series. First, of course, we had to eat. So we barbequed some chicken and sat down for a nice meal where we talked about our families, our childhood dining rituals, music, and politics. But we didn’t talk about books.
Then our attention drifted through the dining room window to the beautiful rock Jacuzzi recently built into Eve’s backyard. Did I mention the waterfall yet? No, I don’t think I did. This thing has a waterfall and a wading pool and is absolutely beautiful. So we took a dip into the bubbling water and talked about things we haven’t talked about in approximately forever. Then we sat around the fire pit (also rock, beautiful, and new!) and laughed while Eve tried to keep the fire burning without getting smoke in her eyes.
“Not possible!”
Basically, we got reacquainted as friends who also happen to write children’s books. Truly a beautiful evening...spent in a hot tub with two beautiful women!*
- Jay
*Fine! Robin and Eve are making me say that Eve's husband and Robin's son were also in the Jacuzzi. Geez! No one appreciates creative nonfiction anymore.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Who's Your Daddy?? -Eve
Rumor has it that this submissions waiting game can get pretty tedious. So I’m going to mix it up a little, create my own game, and produce my own reality show!! It’s called “Who’s Your Daddy?”
My agent will round up ten editors that she deems perfect fits for my manuscript. They’ll be boated into tropical waters, where they have to dive off the boat with only the clothing on their backs and swim out to a deserted island. They’ll build a shelter out of palm leaves and sticks, subsist on coconuts and bugs, and start a fire with rocks and bark.
Every day, members of the “Editio Tribe” (Latin word for ‘publisher’ of course) will spear fish, gather fruit and search for the “Magical Manuscripts” that are hidden somewhere on the small island. Every day they’ll compete in complicated obstacle courses and assorted trivia and endurance challenges. Each challenge winner will receive a clue as to where the “Magical Manuscripts” are hidden.
Since there are only five copies of the “Magical Manuscript” hidden on the island, the five Editios who don’t find them will have their fires snuffed out and will then walk the plank.
The five remaining contestants will be whisked away, via leer jet, to a mansion in Rome, where they’ll spend the week having “dates” with me, discussing how much they love my ms, and convincing me that they love my ms for all the right reasons. I want to make sure my editor is not pretending to love my ms for the fame, money and various People and US Weekly covers that are sure to follow. I want true love, man! Those three who love me (I mean, my ms) the most will continue to the next round.
The remaining three contestants will participate in various photo shoots where they’ll be made over in hair, makeup and clothing and portray famous children’s lit characters, such as The Big Bad Wolf, Holden Caulfield, and Pippi Longstocking. The two with the best photos will continue to the next round, and the one with less-than-convincing photos will have to pack his bags and walk home. And he/she doesn’t even get to keep a copy of the “Magical Manuscript”!!
The final two will helicopter to Trump Tower, where they’ll spend the next two days competing in tasks such as writing a jacket flap summary in less than a minute, creating an eye-catching book cover in less than an hour, and outlining a marketing plan for my ms in less than a day.
The one editor who shows the most promise in all the tasks will receive the final rose at the Final Rose Ceremony! And we’ll live happily ever after. If I’m going to enter into a marriage (contract) with a spouse (editor) to co-parent this baby (manuscript), then what better way to find him/her than on a reality show?? It’s the way of the new millennium!
(**Note: No actual editors were harmed in the making of this reality show. “Who’s Your Daddy” was completely created in Eve’s mind during her procrastination time. Any similarities to actual reality shows are purely coincidental. Eve doesn’t even watch bad reality TV shows that she Tivos all week so she can view them late at night when she should be writing.)
--EVE
My agent will round up ten editors that she deems perfect fits for my manuscript. They’ll be boated into tropical waters, where they have to dive off the boat with only the clothing on their backs and swim out to a deserted island. They’ll build a shelter out of palm leaves and sticks, subsist on coconuts and bugs, and start a fire with rocks and bark.
Every day, members of the “Editio Tribe” (Latin word for ‘publisher’ of course) will spear fish, gather fruit and search for the “Magical Manuscripts” that are hidden somewhere on the small island. Every day they’ll compete in complicated obstacle courses and assorted trivia and endurance challenges. Each challenge winner will receive a clue as to where the “Magical Manuscripts” are hidden.
Since there are only five copies of the “Magical Manuscript” hidden on the island, the five Editios who don’t find them will have their fires snuffed out and will then walk the plank.
The five remaining contestants will be whisked away, via leer jet, to a mansion in Rome, where they’ll spend the week having “dates” with me, discussing how much they love my ms, and convincing me that they love my ms for all the right reasons. I want to make sure my editor is not pretending to love my ms for the fame, money and various People and US Weekly covers that are sure to follow. I want true love, man! Those three who love me (I mean, my ms) the most will continue to the next round.
The remaining three contestants will participate in various photo shoots where they’ll be made over in hair, makeup and clothing and portray famous children’s lit characters, such as The Big Bad Wolf, Holden Caulfield, and Pippi Longstocking. The two with the best photos will continue to the next round, and the one with less-than-convincing photos will have to pack his bags and walk home. And he/she doesn’t even get to keep a copy of the “Magical Manuscript”!!
The final two will helicopter to Trump Tower, where they’ll spend the next two days competing in tasks such as writing a jacket flap summary in less than a minute, creating an eye-catching book cover in less than an hour, and outlining a marketing plan for my ms in less than a day.
The one editor who shows the most promise in all the tasks will receive the final rose at the Final Rose Ceremony! And we’ll live happily ever after. If I’m going to enter into a marriage (contract) with a spouse (editor) to co-parent this baby (manuscript), then what better way to find him/her than on a reality show?? It’s the way of the new millennium!
(**Note: No actual editors were harmed in the making of this reality show. “Who’s Your Daddy” was completely created in Eve’s mind during her procrastination time. Any similarities to actual reality shows are purely coincidental. Eve doesn’t even watch bad reality TV shows that she Tivos all week so she can view them late at night when she should be writing.)
--EVE
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Shaking My Pompoms—Robin
Lately I’ve been doing a lot of pompom shaking. Jay’s first book was sold, Eve signed on with an agent, and then there’s Michigan football.
But when I’m not doing air splits for my friends or shakin’ my tail for the Wolverines, I’m trying to do my part to step out of both Jay AND Eve’s lovely shadows and make a name for myself. So what if that name happens to be Coat Tail Rider #2? It’s a name!!
A few weeks ago I reported that I had a great moment in front of a Denny’s. An agent had read the first few chapters of my manuscript and loved it. She wanted to see it. Right away! I was ecstatic!
Little did I know that I would be having that same in-front-of-Denny’s-feeling again and again in the coming days. Just this past week, I’ve had not ONE, not TWO, not THREE…but FOUR agents interested in my manuscript! Woohoo! Get those pompoms out Disco Mermaids!
It’s been a great feeling to know that other professionals in the field think my work is good. That maybe all those nights shut in my office, writing and giggling may finally pay off.
I’ve decided I only have four requirements of an agent:
1. They must love, love, love my book.
2. They must ignore all the parts they do not love, love, love about my book.
3. They must love getting chocolates as Christmas gifts.
4. They must love giving chocolates as Christmas gifts.
While I’m happy to be courting four agents, I also feel like I’m cheating on a lover…or four lovers! (Which I know nothing about, so how could I possibly even think I’d know what that feels like!) It’s just weird to be interviewing THEM to find the perfect one for me.
But the answer will become clear soon enough…and you’ll be the first to know.
--Robin
But when I’m not doing air splits for my friends or shakin’ my tail for the Wolverines, I’m trying to do my part to step out of both Jay AND Eve’s lovely shadows and make a name for myself. So what if that name happens to be Coat Tail Rider #2? It’s a name!!
A few weeks ago I reported that I had a great moment in front of a Denny’s. An agent had read the first few chapters of my manuscript and loved it. She wanted to see it. Right away! I was ecstatic!
Little did I know that I would be having that same in-front-of-Denny’s-feeling again and again in the coming days. Just this past week, I’ve had not ONE, not TWO, not THREE…but FOUR agents interested in my manuscript! Woohoo! Get those pompoms out Disco Mermaids!
It’s been a great feeling to know that other professionals in the field think my work is good. That maybe all those nights shut in my office, writing and giggling may finally pay off.
I’ve decided I only have four requirements of an agent:
1. They must love, love, love my book.
2. They must ignore all the parts they do not love, love, love about my book.
3. They must love getting chocolates as Christmas gifts.
4. They must love giving chocolates as Christmas gifts.
While I’m happy to be courting four agents, I also feel like I’m cheating on a lover…or four lovers! (Which I know nothing about, so how could I possibly even think I’d know what that feels like!) It’s just weird to be interviewing THEM to find the perfect one for me.
But the answer will become clear soon enough…and you’ll be the first to know.
--Robin
Thursday, November 02, 2006
DMs are Forever -- Jay
Truthfully, I never felt a lot of peer pressure as a teen. But I kept waiting for it because every teacher from late elementary school through high school warned me it was coming. I kept waiting to hear the words What, are you chicken? or Everybody's doing it. Peer pressure was like the boogy man who never showed up.
Till now...
Eve wants the Disco Mermaids to get matching tattoos...maybe one of the art pieces found in our sidebar under Disco Designs. Every time I laugh at her suggestion, she asks if it’s because I’m not committed to the group (read: my peers). But my wife has wanted us to get matching tattoos for years. I can’t possibly say no to my wife and yes to Eve, right? Eve’s response: Why not?
Thankfully, this story has a hero. Earlier this week, an author/illustrator e-mailed the Disco Mermaids to let us know we'll have a cameo in her upcoming picture book. Melanie Hope Greenberg met us at the SCBWI National Conference two years ago when we dressed as mermaids for the after hours Beach Bash. At the time, she'd just started working on a book inspired by the Mermaid Parade at Coney Island. She saw it as a good omen that the three of us won first place in the costume contest that year. Five months later, her book sold to Putnam. The Disco Mermaids will appear atop a float on Surf Avenue. Look for it in Spring 2008!
So Eve, Robin, and I are going to be permanently bound together within the pages of a book. Books hold up a lot longer than tattoos. Books aren't painful to get (read: no blood). And should something unimaginable come between us, books are easy to hide.
Does that satisfy you, Eve?
- Jay
What's that? You wanna know how the editing of my book's coming along? This week my editor approved the revised outline and I’ve been given the go-ahead to revise the actual manuscript. And I’ve gotta say, her suggestions are going to make 13 Reasons Why ten times more powerful. No...thirteen times more powerful!
Till now...
Eve wants the Disco Mermaids to get matching tattoos...maybe one of the art pieces found in our sidebar under Disco Designs. Every time I laugh at her suggestion, she asks if it’s because I’m not committed to the group (read: my peers). But my wife has wanted us to get matching tattoos for years. I can’t possibly say no to my wife and yes to Eve, right? Eve’s response: Why not?
Thankfully, this story has a hero. Earlier this week, an author/illustrator e-mailed the Disco Mermaids to let us know we'll have a cameo in her upcoming picture book. Melanie Hope Greenberg met us at the SCBWI National Conference two years ago when we dressed as mermaids for the after hours Beach Bash. At the time, she'd just started working on a book inspired by the Mermaid Parade at Coney Island. She saw it as a good omen that the three of us won first place in the costume contest that year. Five months later, her book sold to Putnam. The Disco Mermaids will appear atop a float on Surf Avenue. Look for it in Spring 2008!
So Eve, Robin, and I are going to be permanently bound together within the pages of a book. Books hold up a lot longer than tattoos. Books aren't painful to get (read: no blood). And should something unimaginable come between us, books are easy to hide.
Does that satisfy you, Eve?
- Jay
What's that? You wanna know how the editing of my book's coming along? This week my editor approved the revised outline and I’ve been given the go-ahead to revise the actual manuscript. And I’ve gotta say, her suggestions are going to make 13 Reasons Why ten times more powerful. No...thirteen times more powerful!
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