Tickle Me Tuesday: Little Minds

“Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortunes, but great minds rise above them.”
-Washington Irving

I may never succeed at this, but I do try.

Question of the Week Thursday: Todd Strasser

Having started in the publishing business in the mid-1990s, just before the rise of HARRY POTTER, chains, and the Internet, I witnessed the dying gasps of a field founded purely on love of literature; genteel, refined, nurturing.

Those days, like the do-do, are gone forever.

This is why I have an unending fascination with authors who began their careers even earlier than me, much earlier, when publishing was all that and more.

Todd Strasser is brilliant, incredible, exceptional, and inspiring. How has the field of YA changed? He answers my question, below, with a dazzling story that’s as extraordinary as it is illuminating, as tragic as it is comedic.

Between 1973 and 1977, while in college and then working as a newspaper reporter, I wrote a novel called ANGEL DUST BLUES about a teenager on Long Island who is arrested for selling drugs. Not even aware that there was a genre called Young Adult, I was concerned that my story about teenagers lacked the components necessary to catapult it onto the bestseller list.

At that moment in literary history, according to an issue of WRITER’S DIGEST, those components included Nazism and cocaine. So I created a character, a Nazi, who escaped from Germany in a submarine at the end of World War II and sailed it to Colombia, South America. From there he smuggled cocaine, via his submarine, to Long Island. And, to tie it all together, I made him the uncle of one of my protagonist’s friends.

I wish I could tell you that I’m kidding, but I’m not.

An agent started to submit the manuscript and rejections quickly piled up from the first dozen publishers who read it. It was a tough time for me. Other than working as a part-time fact checker for ESQUIRE magazine, I had no income, nor any real hope of making a career for myself as a writer. I’d even given myself a deadline. If I couldn’t publish a book by the time I was 32, I’d chuck the whole deal and start over at something new, although I couldn’t imagine what that would be.

One day my agent called and said an editor named Ferdinand Monjo wished to have lunch with me. Was I interested? At the time I was working my way through a case of tuna fish, purchased in bulk, to save money. I probably would have gone to lunch with Charles Manson if he’d asked.

Mr. Monjo and his assistant, Jim Bruce, met me in the restaurant of a small, elegant East Side hotel. The editor was a refined, dapper man dressed in a sport jacket and tie. His silver-gray hair was combed back, his wire-rim glasses sparkled, and he smoked cigarettes in a long gold cigarette holder reminiscent of that well-known photo of a jaunty Franklin D. Roosevelt riding in the back of a car.

After graciously thanking me for agreeing to come to lunch, we sat down at a table covered with linens, crystal, and silver. During the conversation that followed, Mr. Monjo consumed two vodka gimlets while discussing theater, classical music, and opera with Jim (clearly the least cultured person at the table, I mostly listened and sipped a Coke).

Later, having consumed a red caviar omelet, as well as a third vodka gimlet, Mr. Monjo got down to business. Would I, he asked, possibly consider rewriting my book? My agent had already told me that this would be at the crux of the lunch, so I had an answer prepared. I would, I said. And did he have any suggestions?

Mr. Monjo seemed pleased that I had asked. “Yes, Todd,” he said. “In this business it is important to write about what you know. It is obvious that you know a great deal about being a teenager in the suburbs.” He paused to clear his throat. “I regret to also point out that it is equally obvious that you know very little about Nazis, submarines, and cocaine smuggling.”

Lunch ended. In the months that followed I would take Mr. Monjo’s suggestion to heart, and eventually produce a book that was driven much more by character, and much less by plot.

Like the editors at the other publishing houses, Mr. Monjo had found in my book a story that was neither plausible nor interesting. But unlike the others, he (perhaps because he himself was also a writer) had detected a potential which, given an opportunity, might eventually produce something decent. He offered $3,000 to see if his hunch was correct. While small by today’s standards, in 1977 this was not an inconsequential amount to pay on an unproven first-time novelist with only the promise of a story.

Today there are still many lovely and erudite editors, but I wonder how many would be allowed to gamble on a brand-new author the way Mr. Monjo did.* The impression I have is that today’s editors are rarely allowed (or are even given the time) to speculate on what a manuscript might become, and must instead base their decisions on the manuscript they have in hand (provided the marketing and sales departments give them the green light. Many books today are purchased by committee. I cannot imagine any marketing or sales department approving of the manuscript Ferdinand Monjo read.)

I also wonder how many editors still have the luxury of time that would allow them to take a writer out to lunch merely to ask if he or she would consider rewriting a book.

Mr. Monjo (his full name was Ferdinand Nicolas Monjo III) was a well-known author himself, and was born into an old and well-to-do Connecticut fur trading family that, in the 1800s, had sailing ships all over the world. In 1974 one of his books won the National Book Award – a tremendous achievement for any writer. Sadly, he died in October of 1978. ANGEL DUST BLUES was a few months later.

How has the business of YA books changed? One way is that Ferdinand Monjo, and the editorial milieu he lived in, are no longer with us.

* Among the other YA authors who got their start thanks to Mr. Monjo is Robert Lipsyte, whose wonderful book, THE CONTENDER, came about when the editor wrote to him out of the blue and asked if he’d consider writing a novel about a teenage boxer. Before that, Mr. Lipsyte, a sports reporter for THE NEW YORK TIMES, had never written fiction.

Tickle Me Tuesday: The Work Before You

“Don’t waste your life in doubts and fears: spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour’s duties will be the best preparation for the hours or ages that follow it.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

I love this.

It’s so helpful to me when I’m writing away and my attention starts to drift to all the things that could/may/might happen – writing-wise and life-wise – as is often the case among people who spend a lot of time thinking/imagining/creating.

So, I stop, reset myself to this wise advice, and remind myself to focus solely on what I’m doing NOW.

Sometimes I need to do this many times a day, but it does work.

Question of the Week Thursday: Heather Brewer

Ultra-talented, ultra-grounded author Heather Brewer made a giant splash in publishing with her The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series. Heather and I share an agent, and she answers this question for us today: What has it been like to experience the enormous success of your new series?

In a word: dizzying! I tend to be a pretty realistic person (which is odd, being someone who writes about vampires...) and thought it would take several books before I reached a status where I was considered cool enough to sign people’s necks with a Sharpie (I was asked to sign a girl’s butt too, but I’m not even going there), but here it is. Weird.

Mostly, it hasn’t changed my life at all. I still write in my jammies, still fall behind in answering email, still zone out playing Sims...but what makes my life truly special is that now I get emails, messages, and comments from the most amazing people - most of them teens. I’ve met so many that have such incredible stories to tell, and so many who were not readers before they picked up my books. There’s no bigger blessing as an author than to know you’re getting kids to read. It’s awesome.

I hope I can do it forever.

Tickle Me Tuesday: What To Overlook

"The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook."
-William James

This one is a favorite of mine, and so apt for the publishing industry, where deciding what to keep out sometimes can play a larger role than deciding what to take in.

It can also be a wonderful philosophy for the foibles of spouses and mistakes of fellow-drivers.

Question of the Week Thursday: Lisa Yee

Fantastically wonderful author Lisa Yee returns to answer a burning question for us, and frankly, it’s something I’ve wanted to know for a long, long time: What’s it like to share an editor with J.K. Rowling?

Since my editor, Arthur A. Levine, not only brought HARRY POTTER to America, but also rescued me from the slush pile, I like to think that J.K. Rowling and I are practically-almost-semi-EXACTLY alike. Well, except for the money, fame, and extraordinary plotting abilities part, and that she lives in England and probably knows Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy, whereas, I just want to know Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy.

I adore Arthur. He is the nicest, most talented person. When you work with Arthur he makes you feel like you are his only author. I am practically certain that when he calls me to say things like, “Uh, Lisa, your manuscript is rambling in the beginning again,” he has J.K. Rowling on hold on the other line and just ignores the blinking light until our conversation is fini.

I also work with Cheryl Klein, who was the continuity editor for HARRY POTTER. Cheryl is amazing with details and I like to imagine that she is using the same nubby pencil to go over my manuscripts as she uses when she pours over the details of Voldemort's love life, or lack thereof.

On the day I sent in my manuscript for my upcoming YA novel, ABSOLUTELY MAYBE, Ms. Rowling handed in HARRY POTTER, VII. So I got bumped to a spring 2009 release. But hey, if you're gonna be bumped, who better to be bumped by?

Forget Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Heck, I have one degree of Arthur A. Levine!

Tickle Me Tuesday: Thinking

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.

Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many.

Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books.

Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.

Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.

But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it."

- Buddha


Never let anyone tell you what to think. Keep your own counsel.

Miscellaneous Monday: A Review by Little Willow

The mah-velous Little Willow at Slayground reviewed Nothing.

I'm thrilled, delighted, flattered, and honored.

Question of the Week Thursday: Lisa Schroeder

Brilliantly fabulous debut author Lisa Schroeder is the author of I Heart You, You Haunt Me, which is in its third printing after only a few months! Lisa answers this burning question for us: What did you do in the way of promotion?

Because I work 32 hours a week at a day job, I don’t have a ton of time for promotional type activities. So I decided six months or so before my novel came out that I needed to make the Internet my best friend. Now, I’ve been active online for a long time. I’ve been a member of the community at Verla Kay’s since it started, and I have a blog at Livejournal and a large network of writer friends there. But I began to think about what else I could do.

MySpace scared me, but I knew a large number of teens hung out there. So I took the plunge, made a page, and started learning how to connect with people there. Once I became comfortable, I spent time every week friending librarians, authors, bookstores, and teens. And I think it’s important to not just friend people there but get to know them. So I did that. It’s time consuming, but well worth it.

I also joined the Class of 2k8, a group of 27 debut MG and YA authors who are all across the country, but joined together to spread the word about our books. I really believe there is power in numbers. If one of us goes to a conference, we take brochures along that list all of our books and we all benefit from that one person attending.

Finally, I joined together with four other authors and we do a group blog every week. We are five authors at different stages of our careers, and we hope that any writer for kids or teens can stop by and find comfort knowing he or she isn’t alone.

Having said all that, I think it’s important to recognize that it also comes down to a lot of plain old luck. I was blessed with a great cover, and Barnes and Noble picked my book as part of their teen endcap Romance promotion in February.

Tickle Me Tuesday: Drop by Drop

"A jug fills drop by drop."
-Buddha

If you've ever wondered what it's like to complete a novel, this is the best explanation I've ever come across.

Of course, this philosophy can also be applied to any goal, big or small.

Question of the Week Thursday: Lisa McMann

Fantastically talented Lisa McMann is the author of The New York Times bestselling Wake. Lisa and I share an agent, and she answers this question for us today: Did your publishing experience turn out as you expected?

In a word, no.

My experience exceeded my wildest dreams. Sure, it was a roller coaster (and continues to be!) but I’ve been so pleased. I love the team at Simon Pulse. And I think we work pretty darn well together.

I’m not sure what I expected, other than to work hard and get very little attention. Like any new author knows, there are thousands of new books coming out every month and publishing houses have a lot of authors to tend to. So I knew that if I wanted Wake to get attention, I had to help make it happen. It’s really important to establish a presence. Being a YA author, the very best place I can be is on the Internet. Website, blog, MySpace, Facebook, message boards...all are important (and, yes, time-consuming). But, free, for the most part.

And over time, Wake got noticed by book buyers, the publisher’s sales staff, chain stores. And things started happening. S&S decided to send me on tour. Contests and ad campaigns and events with terrific sites like bookdivas.com and fanlib.com happened. At one point pre-pub, I decided to fly out to NYC to meet the people at Simon Pulse, and I think that was the very best thing I could have done (yes, it was on my own dime, and I highly recommend it to authors if you can afford it...and even if you can’t). I now have faces to put on all these terrific people who are on my side, and they have a real person rather than just a name and a still shot to associate with me.

I have heard horror stories about authors whose editors don’t respond or don’t keep them in the loop on things...I’m thrilled that my editor Jen is great at keeping me in the loop, and not only that – she’s a lovely human being, too. So one of the unexpected benefits of my publishing experience is that I not only have a great editor, but I have a great, real person to talk to about Wake and Fade and how things are going. And Jen’s going to be straight with me, tough on me when I need it, but she’s also right there in the trenches with me too. That’s the sort of publisher support we often forget about. And it’s priceless.

Tickle Me Tuesday: Brain Surgery

“The beautiful part of writing is that you don’t have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon.”
- Robert Cormier

The late and great Robert Cormier, author of classics such as I Am The Cheese and The Chocolate War, did so much for the field of YA literature.

Taking my cue from this wonderful author, I think of revision as a writer’s best friend. Rather than being scary, I try to look at it as a sort of safety net when I’m working to create that precious first draft.

“I’ll fix it later” can sometimes become my mantra; it certainly allows me to keep moving forward.

Question of the Week Thursday: Jill Esbaum

My good friend, mucho-talented Jill Esbaum, lives on a farm in Iowa and is one of the nicest people in publishing. She answers this question for us today: What are the differences between writing picture books and novels?

About 50,000 words. Just kidding. Sort of.

Even though the forms are so very different, most of what I’ve learned from writing picture books also applies to novel writing. You have to hook a reader on page 1, create sympathetic characters, employ showing v. telling, use vivid language, etc. For a picture book, however, while you may know enough about your main character to fill 150 pages, you have to show one aspect of his character in a few brief sentences, get to his problem, get it solved, and get out – all in 800 words or less. I like that challenge.

For me, switching to novel writing is always daunting. Suddenly, there’s infinite space to work with, or at least that how it seems, and how on earth will I fill it all? Once I’m lost in the story, though, I love the freedom of just ... letting it fly, at least in a first draft (even though I’m constantly going back to tweak). And I enjoy revealing a story – and character nuances – more slowly. Including more setting details. Exploring theme. Building relationships between characters. Finding (and mining) unexpected connections.

I wrote one of my picture books in two days. The others have taken from two weeks to a month or so. Because of that, my biggest difficulty with novel writing is committing to such a long-term project. Picture book writing feels FUN. Novel writing feels an awful lot like WORK.

Still, I find the process addicting. Not that I’ve sold one yet. But I’ll keep trying. I’m stubborn – or maybe delusional. Time will tell.

Tickle Me Tuesday: A River Runs Through It

“Intelligence is like a river: The deeper it is, the less noise it makes.”
-Unknown

This doesn't seem to need further comment.

Miscellaneous Monday: Little Willow's List

Popping in again with another announcement. The fabulous Little Willow has named Nothing a Best Teen Fiction of April 2008.

I’m incredibly flattered, honored, and grateful.

Question of the Week Thursday: Sara Shepard

Incredibly prolific author Sara Shepard created a sensation with her Pretty Little Liars series, and answers this question for us today: Did your publishing experience turn out as you expected?

When I was in school getting an MFA, I was told that we shouldn’t be over-confident about getting our books sold; so few good books make it. But in selling Pretty Little Liars, I think the concept came at the right time: I put together eight compelling chapters and a description of how the series would go, and I think it sold in less than a week in a pre-empt. It was a weird entree into publishing. I sort of thought, is it really this easy?

But it’s not. I recently sold my first adult novel, which has nothing to do with Pretty Little Liars and is a lot more serious, and the road to finding an editor was a lot more of what I expected: I revised the novel three times per my agent, cutting almost 200 pages from it. When it was finally ready (probably 8 months after I initially sent it to my agent), it went to 15 or so editors at various publishing houses. I got passes from editors, citing all kinds of reasons that often contradicted each other. In the end, two houses were interested, and it went to Simon & Schuster-Free Press.

I’m thrilled about both books making it into the world, but it seems that the publishing world is as unpredictable as anything else. You still have to have a great manuscript. Editors are picky. Fiction is subjective. You can’t take it personally if they don’t like what you’ve done - and that goes for some of the Amazon reviews I’ve read of Pretty Little Liars, too.

On a side note, I have been surprised at how slow the publishing world is. As an author, working out of your house without a lot of outside interaction, I spend a lot of time wondering what my editors, agents, publicists, etc., are doing. Are they working on Pretty Little Liars right now? Are they reading my emails? Is my draft terrible? That’s the downside of being a full-time writer - when your book is with the editor, you have way too much time on your hands to think!

Tickle Me Tuesday: Potential

“There is no greater burden than great potential.”
-Charles Schulz, creator of Peanuts

Having a talent – a knack for writing, an ear for music, an eye for design – is a wonderful gift for which we should be grateful.

And, yet, it isn’t so simple.

In our achievement-oriented culture, talent can often be as much a curse as a blessing; something to be developed, expended, exploited, even manipulated. And that’s when it becomes a burden rather than a bliss.

Creative people struggle every day to find the balance between art and commerce; work and inspiration; reality and ecstasy.

It’s a constant, relentless dance, with only a messy combination of trial and error, boundaries, and perspective, to maintain both our muses and our minds.

Miscellaneous Monday: My Debut as a Cover Girl

Ah, I’m popping in unexpectedly, just to make an announcement. I’m thrilled and honored to be featured on the cover of Living in Marlboro magazine.

Marlboro is where I graduated from high school; Marlborough is the fictional setting of The Girlfriend Project.

Read about my jobs in high school, see a picture of me at my senior prom, and find out how I met my husband.