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June 2008 Archives
Marketing Monday: Girl Crush
I made it onto the Contributors' Page of Teen Vogue with August's "Fan Club," a story I wrote about girl crushes (starring a few blog readers--thanks for the quotes, you guys!). They even showed the cover of Violet in Private--yay!
You can read the article below, and email me if you want to help out with the next one... I'll let you know what it's all about and how you can be quoted in the story (Teen Vogue doesn't use last names, so don't be shy).
I think the piece makes it kinda clear that my latest girl crush is Rihanna... who's yours?
The New York Times published a great article last week on Italian Vogue's latest issue, which features all black models photographed by famed photographer Stephen Meisel. It's influenced a bit by Barack Obama's nomination, by the important talk about the lack of models of color on the runways and in magazines, and by the particular interests of the editor-in-chief, Franca Sozzani.
It's an issue--like the super skinny problem--that I hope stays in the spotlight for a while and leads to change. The slideshow, which you can watch here, is just gorgeous! And in the magazine--which will hit the US sometime next week--these photos cover 100 pages!
PS-Vogue has a really good story in the July issue called "Is Fashion Racist?" Check it out if this topic interests you. Happy weekend.
Those are the titles of two novels in Jenny O'Connell's new "Island Summer" series (minus the ice cream part). I'm into the combo titles... and all they imply. I haven't had a chance to read the books yet, but I did have a chance to talk to Jenny while she's on her Girlfriend Cyber Circuit tour, and I got her answers to three incredibly important questions:
1. Did you have a point in your life--a certain summer maybe--when you made a really big change, or felt something shift?
There was a summer like that and actually wrote about it in the anthology It's a Wonderful Lie. I'd had the same boyfriend through college, and after college we lived together. After five months living under the same roof, we broke up. Just in time for summer. For the first time I was on my own, I got my own apartment and lived alone. It's a very strange feeling being alone when you're used to either being with friends or your boyfriend. It ended up being the best summer ever and I think it changed me from being someone who always had to be out with friends doing something into someone who could just hang by herself and enjoy it.
2. What parts of you can we see in your characters?
Actually, Kendra (in Local Girls) and Winnie (in Rich Boys) share my favorite ice cream!! We all prefer chocolate with sprinkles. There is a lot of me in my characters, even some similar experiences. The thing is, when it's happening to Kendra or Winnie I get to choose how it turns out!
3. Did you ever have an amazing summer love? Do share!
Between my sophomore and junior years of high school I spent the summer at The Rhode Island School of Design in Providence (my parents were convinced I was an artist, but after seeing the other people I was there with I realized I wasn't nearly as good as they were). On our first night at school some girls and I walked up to Thayer Street for ice cream. As we were about to walk into the ice cream store, this guy walked by us with his friend. He was absolutely adorable, totally hot. I watched as he walked away and then I went into the store for a chocolate ice cream cone with sprinkles. After we'd all ordered we walked outside and a second later there he was again, walking past us the other way. I knew it was my chance to do something or I'd never see him again. So I stepped in front of him and said, "Hi, want some of my ice cream?" Looking back I can't even believe I did that (and no, he didn't have any of my ice cream). But he stopped and we talked and we ended up going out on a date and spending the whole summer together. He was about to start as a freshman at Brown and lived outside Providence. We went to Newport to the beaches and had an amazing summer (even if I never did become a fabulous artist). When I left to go back home he came to visit me and I even went up for a few days to visit him before he started college. We had a blast, and that was the end of it. Funny thing is, when I was in college my freshman year some friends and I went to Brown for the weekend and I saw him. He was still adorable. But, much to my heart's dismay, we didn't walk off into the sunset together.
Ooh, but that is still a great summer story. Anyone else have a summer love tale to share?
PS-Go to Jenny's blog for a chance to win a Local Girls/Rich Boys t-shirt!
PPS-Watch the trailer and go to Jenny's website to learn more about the series. Does it look ultra summery, or what?!
Thanks for sharing your summer plans last week and indulging my inner busybody! The randomly chosen winner of Not Anything is... Katie in NC, my East Regional Library friend! I know you're off with your grandparents, Katie, but let me know your address when you return.
Now, this week's contest is for a signed copy of Lauren Baratz-Logsted's Secrets of My Suburban Life. This book got to me because the main character, Ren, has such a great voice. And she writes letters to her mother, who died in an accident involving Harry Potter books. Not kidding. The plot was fun and intriguing, and the letters themselves broke my heart and then put it back together again.
So, to win a copy of this book, just comment below and tell me what you'd like to see during release week for Violet in Private. I'm thinking of daily contests, natch, but anything else you'd love? Let me know! Or just say hi if you don't have an idea, that counts too.
Happy Wednesday.
PS-If you want to get a copy of Violet in Private on August 5th, ask your bookstore or library to pre-order it for you. That will ensure they have it... (for those of you who've had trouble finding the Violet books). Also, that will make me really happy. Thanks!
PPS-If you give me an idea that I end up using, I'll send you an advance copy of Violet in Private... I just thought of that. And I'll do it!
PPPS-If you post about this contest, in a myspace bulletin or on your blog or wherever, I'll count your entry twice... just let me know in the comments below.
So this site, cassettefrommyex.com, completely speaks to the nostalgic music lover in me. I just had to dig out a tape from my college years and write an essay about it. Are there some lame songs on it? Yes. Do I still listen to it sometimes? Yes.
Probably more about me than you want to know is laid out in this post, Crazy 8s. But I'd still love it if you'd go visit, leave me a comment, and read through some of the other essays too--while listening to the accompanying mixes, of course. Maybe you have a tape of your own to share (and if so, I must know what's on it). Do people make mix tapes anymore? I think they are the greatest love letters!
Thanks to the lovely Amber, book reviewer extrordinaire for teensreadtoo.com, Violet on the Runway was included as one of last week's "Three Books for Teens Who Hate to Read" on National Public Radio's All Things Considered. You can listen to the broadcast here.
Being on NPR has been a dorky dream of mine forever. It is possibly the coolest press I can imagine.
Here was the three-book lineup. I'm excited to be in such amazing company (I still have to read Spud... but I'm sure it's fantastic). Yay!!
My dad died four years ago today, just after I turned 27. It was Father's Day, which fits, because my dad was always a bit of a wiseass.
Anyway, I had to share this 80s photo of us together (above) on the train at the Museum of Life & Science in Durham, NC, and the tribute to a few dads that Glamour ran in their June issue (below).
The third from the left is my dad (duh). His high school girlfriend, Jane Miller, really did fly in for the memorial and give me this old photo she had of him, which I will always remember as an endlessly thoughtful gesture. He's studying his lines for the Germantown Academy school play, Arsenic and Old Lace , and I love his plaid shirt--he's a Philadelphia private-school boy through and through in that shot.
I just read that the #1 choice of car for teens is the Ford Mustang. When I was 15, my dad and I started looking for cars together. I had a dream car in mind. Yup, a classic 1965 Ford Mustang. This was 1993, but there were still some Mustangs on the road in our town. We even test-drove a Carolina blue convertible one, and I nearly crashed it because there was just pure force under that hood.
As you can see by the photo here, in which I'm almost 16 and obviously unaware that my socks look ridiculous, I didn't end up with a muscle car. Quite the opposite, in fact. I had saved babysitting and birthday money for about six years (yes, I'm a total nut but I really, really looked forward to getting my license). I bought an '88 Ford Festiva, which I named Ferdinand, on the day that the North Carolina Tarheels won the '93 NCAA basketball championship. It was cheap, it was a stick shift, it was the perfect little car. Actually, it still runs--I just sold it to my brother, who drives it around Chapel Hill to this day.
I would love to hear what dream cars you guys had/have! Maybe with the price of gas you have a dream Vespa?
I feel like that title seems like you're not going to win anything this week, but it's deceptive!
First, thanks for sharing your current reads. My to-read list is way longer, but that means my to-give-away-after-I-read list is growing too. So it's a win-win. Anyway, last week's winner of Maryrose Wood's Why I Let My Hair Grow Out is.... M! Send me your address, M.
Now, this week's winnable book is Not Anything, by Carmen Rodrigues. And since I'm at the beach and feeling vacationy, I'll just share the blurb I wrote when Carmen gave me an early copy of the book: "Any girl who's ever fumbled her way through changing friendships, first love and real loss will find a friend in Susie Shannon." It's a lovely book, and you will like it! Promise.
To win, just tell me what you're doing this summer. Camp? Family vacations? Getting ready for college? Working? Hitting a music festival?
I'm writing a new book and also spending some time at the beach and then in the mountains with my friends. I am psyched.
So Daniel made this ah-mazing talking video about the Violet books, and I love it because he's awesome and he's in his kitchen and he has really strong opinions about America's Next Top Model.
Daniel says, "The Songs If You Really Care Are: Mouthwash - Kate Nash and The Fortunate - Cartel." He hates the light streaks behind him but I like them--it's authentic. I also love that Violet on the Runway is lost in the abyss of his car.
Thanks, Daniel! I may make "Violet Video" a contest one day... but that takes a lot of work so I'll have to give away more than one book. Re-post Daniel's video if you like it!
PS-Since you can't see the link if you watch the video here, you can add me on myspace or facebook through these links.
I'm over at Teen Fiction Cafe today, blogging about surviving high school. Here's what helped me:
My friends! Yes, I know I'm an overly nostalgic dork. This is the actual cover of my 1995 senior year scrapbook. Won't you come leave me a comment on TFC?
And here are a couple of pics from my birthday party last Saturday, which I shared with my friend Mariel, who let us wear feathers in our hair, which was awesome. Yes, even some people from that high school scrapbook were there. That second "F" on BFF means something, you know?
Happy weekend!
PS-The reading last night was great--these are authors you must know! Carolyn Mackler, Bennett Madison and Michael Northrop (whose book doesn't come out until next spring, which is why I can't link!). Check them out.
Just a fun one I did for Glamour recently, where I found out that I am scarily normal about celebrities. But I decided to cancel my Us Weekly subscription this year... is that a sign I'm growing up, maybe a little?
PS-Yesterday's winner, Book Muncher, tells me she already owns Maine Squeeze, so I had the random number generator work its magic again, and the new winner is... Dragon's Pizza! Remind me of your address, DP.
The band names you guys came up with.... well, they rocked. I'm going to try to use as many as I can in Lovestruck Summer (I mention a lot of music in the book), so thank you for helping me write! The winner, chosen by random number generator, is.... The Book Muncher! Congratulations! Send me your address and a copy of Maine Squeeze will get to you just in time for the heart of beach read season.
Today, I'm giving away a copy of Maryrose Wood's fabulous and fantastical novel, Why I Let My Hair Grow Out. It's the story of Morgan, a girl who gets dumped, buzzcuts her hair and dyes it orange, and then is sent on a bike tour of Ireland by her concerned parents. I loved watching her get more and more into her own badassness, and then delve into the forgotten fairyland of her childhood. Yeah, I know my summary makes no sense, but you just have to read it. It's delightful. And, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say it has one of the most gorgeous covers in recent memory.
So to win Maryrose Wood's excellent book, just tell me what book you're reading right now... the latest on your nightstand. I'm nosey.
So I've been trying to make a Violet video for the third book, but I'm still figuring out iMovie. Here's my question: Who made this "Presenting the Violet Series" video?And what was it like? Oh, I wish I'd seen it before it got taken down! Author Lauren Mechling wrote a story for the Wall Street Journal this weekend about how book trailers don't help sales much, generally, but she also recognizes that they are fun?! Let me know if you made this video... I mean, how cool is it that someone took the time?
Yes, I googled myself, okay? I admit it. Slow day.
Elizabeth Scott, who's just plain awesome, is giving away an Elsa Peretti Tiffany necklace to celebrate the release of Stealing Heaven (it's a Gemini necklace, which is my sign, not that I think that should give me an edge, but...). Oh, and other prizes include 20 $20 gift certificates. That's right, twenty!
Reviewers, I need to know if you'd like to request an early copy of Violet in Private. Please email me with your address and a link to your site. We have limited copies, but my publicist will be sending them out in the next few weeks and I will try to get as many copies as I can out to you guys!
Thanks! Happy weekend!
Oh, and if anyone hasn't posted the widget yet... that's always a way to kiss up a little. Haha. There are various sizes and shapes below; just hit "share" for the code or to embed on a site.
Photo Friday: Fashion Show #2, Thank Yous and Contest Links
I got to go to the 2008 Annual Fashion Show for The High School of Fashion Industries in NYC last week. Standing with my friend Selena, who's a model, makes me feel like a milkmaid, but she just tells me that high schools have bad lighting (thanks, S).
But anyway, can you believe such a cool high school exists? It does. And everyone there is fabulous. We even got to sit next to Malan from Project Runway (remember the guy with the bizarre accent? He has an even more hilarious laugh). So fun! Here are some shots from their amazing show, full of student designers and models (click to enlarge--camera phone, sorry!):
PS-I want to give out a few flowers, just for weekend fun:
Purple peonies to Cat for the birthday post! So sweet.
Great, great answers last week on which side character you'd like to see more of... if you haven't gotten a chance to read everyone's comments, browse here and on myspace--there are some really thoughtful ones! The winner of a signed copy of Violet by Design is... MYBKCLUB! Send me your address, and the book will be sent to you this week.
Now, I'm giving away an awesome summer beach read today. It's Maine Squeeze, by Catherine Clark, and it's complete fun to read. I actually just signed on with HarperCollins to do a beach read for summer 2009! Here are the details from Publisher's Marketplace: "Melissa Walker's LOVESTRUCK SUMMER, in which an indie-rock girl spending the summer in Austin on a coveted music internship unexpectedly falls in love with a college cowboy who makes her challenge her own stereotypes, expand her musical tastes, and ultimately open up her world." I hope you guys will like it!
So to win a beach read for this summer, do me a favor: Give me a suggestion for a band name--could be country, indie, r&b, boy band--anything. I need some fake band names to use in my new book, so let me know if it's okay to use it. I will try to use as many of your band names as I can in LOVESTRUCK SUMMER. Cool?
And I'll choose a random commenter next week to win a copy of Maine Squeeze.
Happy Wednesday! (Oh, and Happy Birthday to me... my boyfriend got me these flowers, which I really, really love. Aren't they so quirky and cute?)
1. Who's your all-time favorite author, and why?
This is an impossible question to answer. Can I get a witness? I mean, sometimes I'm in the brooding mood for JD Salinger, sometimes I want a little Sarah Dessen heartstring tugging, sometimes I'm in a dark and stormy William Faulkner mood and sometimes I just want to curl up with Mo Willems and Knuffle Bunny. And in between, I adore all sorts of other authors, too!
2. Who was your first favorite author, and why? Do you still consider him or her among your favorites?
Probably JM Barrie because I loved, loved, loved Peter Pan when I was little. And yeah, I still do! Maybe because Young Adult authors have that "can't grow up" syndrome....
3. Who's the most recent addition to your list of favorite authors, and why?
Perhaps David Levithan. I was late to read him, but now that I've started, I can't stop. His books make me feel giddy about friendship and love.
4. If someone asked you who your favorite authors were right now, which authors would first pop out of your mouth? Are there any you'd add on a moment of further reflection?
Carolyn Mackler, Sarah Mlynowski, E. Lockhart, all mentioned above... and upon further reflection I'd add Eudora Welty, Carson McCullers and Harper Lee. (Can you tell I used to bury myself in Southern literature, but these days I'm up to my eyes in teen novels?)
Rules: Link to the person that tagged you, post the rules somewhere in your meme, answer the questions, tag six people in your post, let the tagees know they’ve been chosen by leaving a comment on their blog, let the tagger know your entry is posted.
Done! Except that I'll say anyone who wants to do this meme can consider themselves tagged by me. Happy Tuesday.
Recently, through the awesome author of Wake, Lisa McMann, I got to interview Evan Handler. You may know him as Harry (Charlotte's boyfriend) from Sex and the City, or as agent Harry Runkle on Californication (a fantastic show). Let me just say that Evan is smart and funny and awesome. His new book, It's Only Temporary, is his second memoir.
To quote my own amazon.com review: "Evan Handler's second memoir is heavy, light, illuminating, infuriating, jaded and joyful. Finding his way in the world (again) after surviving an "incurable" cancer that hit him while he was an actor on the rise in his 20s, Handler muddles through relationships with a hard-boiled charm that won me over. It's a fantastic read."
Anyway, the interview is about how even famous people have to hustle a little to promote their books... it's an enlightening interview for authors especially. Read it here. Enjoy!
PS-Update: I saw the movie! It is just right and true to the show. I always wanted to be Carrie, but my friend Jeff once told me I'm more like Miranda, really, and that's true.
I made it onto the Contributors' Page of Teen Vogue with August's "Fan Club," a story I wrote about girl crushes (starring a few blog readers--thanks for the quotes, you guys!). They even showed the cover of Violet in Private--yay!
