Yesterday started out bad, bad, bad - but by sundown, I'd found out that SWEET LIFE will represent at this year's National Book Festival, that Celebrity Kitchens is planning on hosting a special SWEET LIFE-themed dinner using ONE OF MY MENUS FROM THE BOOK, and that they're also offering a very generous $15 off coupon to readers at tomorrow's launch party.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

So, the first thing: there's this Pavillion of the States at the National Book Festival, which last year saw 150,000 people attend. Representives from each state are in this pavillion (hence the name), promoting literacy projects and the like. But there's also this really cool feature that's meant for kids/teens, but supposedly gets adults just as amped, called "Discover Great Places Through Reading." There's a map that lists book recommendations - one from each state - and people who take the map to each state's booth receive a sticker or a stamp to mark that they've been there. Long story short: every state picks ONE title each year, either set in that state or by an author from their state, to represent that state in the pavillion. This year? The Delaware Center for the Book has chosen THE SWEET LIFE OF STELLA MADISON. It gets its own little display and everything. And, as Joe pointed out, this is the first year the Obama/Biden administration has been in place during the Nat'l Book Festival - so my book is representing the HOME STATE of our VERY ESTEEMED V.P. on Saturday, September 26th!

Woot!

The Celebrity Kitchens thing: those of you who've read SWEET LIFE (which I normally refer to as STELLA in short hand - but since everyone else calls it SWEET LIFE I figure I better start doing it, too) know that each of the chapters begins with a menu, either from Stella's mom's business, which is modeled after Celebrity Kitchens, or from some other dining establishment (including the cafeteria of the fictionalized Daily Journal, based on Delaware's own News Journal, in which every selection has chicken. Because, you know, Delaware is the only state that, per capita, has more chickens than people. Or at least it did the year I graduated from college, when Tom Carper gave a speach that was a thousand times better than the journalist who gave the keynote, and who rambled on for forty minutes about some green sweater she either wore or lost when she visited Paris a zillion years before that). ANYWAY, the Open Kitchen's menus are so totally inspired by the menus the chefs at CK offer up every month, and now, at a soon-to-be-determined date in October, CK will host this SWEET LIFE dinner using one of my menus. Which is, like, crazy cool. Even better? I get to be there, talking about things like writing about food and using Delaware as my setting. Which means that I GET TO EAT THIS FANTASY MENU I CREATED. Seriously - how freaking cool is that? (I promise to post more details as they become available!)

Cindy and Angela, the women who own CK, are also offering launch party attendees a $15 off coupon for a future reservation (fine print: cannot be combined with any other offers, cannot be used for kids events or private parties). This in addition to incredibly delectable and COMPLETELY FREE cupcakes from Cupcake Heaven. Sa-woon!

And now, because it's sunny and not humid and everything that I do not hate about summer, I have to go and do my chores and stuff because I'm determined to hit the pool this morning. Joe and I went last night and there's this crazy fun water slide that makes me want to run away to Wild Water Kingdom, like, STAT. Plus, it's been rainy and hot and thickly muggy here for the past two weeks, but last night we were able to sleep with the A/C off and the windows wide open. Ahh, bliss!

Hope to see a lot of you locals at Saturday's party! Which brings me to ....

Obligatory reading reminder: this Saturday, 2 p.m., Borders in Newark (not the one at the mall, but the one near Toys R Us), launch party for THE SWEET LIFE OF STELLA MADISON with FREE CUPCAKES by Cupcake Heaven and a special appearance by Cindy Weiner, co-owner of Celebrity Kitchens (the real-life inspiration behind Stella's mom's Open Kitchen), who'll be offering a discount coupon for readers of the book!

Obligatory contest reminder:LAST FOUR DAYS to enter the 50-BOOK GIVEAWAY.:

I was exceedingly happy to receive so many responses to my query about writing schedules (keep 'em coming in, please!). A couple of friends suggested that one way to stay the course was to form a group of accountability - kind of like people often do when they start a new health plan together. Only, this is for writing health. Or something.

Then I got this link through a SparkPeople.com e-mail alert to a great article about the Do's and Don'ts of Goal Setting. SparkPeople is a great site that I started using heavily as I was preparing for my gastric bypass surgery last summer. You can do all sorts of things there, like track your daily calories, water intake, and exercise; chart your weight loss progress; and read tons of great info about everything from healthy eats for cheap to the perfect squat routine to give you a bikini butt.

Anyway, even though the article was about setting goals for improved health, I was thinking that this sound a lot like the kind of advice I've given my students about setting effective writing goals. For instance, one tip encourages you to start small - that by focusing on one thing at a time, you won't get overwhelmed by longer-reaching goals. Another says to "write it down" with a deadline in place. I think my favorite tip, though is the one about being specific. Instead of saying things like, "I will get SOME exercise" (or, in this case, "I will write MORE each day"), you should make your target clearer, as in, "I will write 1,000 words a day." Also stressed? Cutting back on using absolute words like "never" or "always," which can lead to setbacks and/or feelings of failure.

So: my goal for the weekend? Set writing goals for the week of August 10th. (Liz, Susan - are you with me?)

Obligatory reading reminder: this Saturday, 2 p.m., Borders in Newark (not the one at the mall, but the one near Toys R Us), launch party for THE SWEET LIFE OF STELLA MADISON with FREE CUPCAKES by Cupcake Heaven!

THIS JUST IN: Celebrity Kitchens, the real-life inspiration for Stella's mom's business, will be providing discount coupons at the event! (More info on that - and a super-special event - to come ...)

Obligatory contest reminder: you still have five days to enter the 50-BOOK GIVEAWAY.

You know how I'm on my neverending quest for creating a more structured writing life? This is becoming absolutely imperative, as the summer is rapidly dwindling away and I return to my teaching duties at UD come Sept. 1.

So, for all of you writers out there, I pose the following questions:

1. What does your typical writing day look like?

2. What kind of goals do you have for a given day? Page counts? Word counts? Chapters?

3. How much time do you devote to A) e-mails, B) blogging, C) reading other people's blogs, D) Facebooking, E) Twittering, and F) marketing?

4. What limits do you impose upon yourself to make sure you're maximizing creativity?

5. Where do you write? Do you find it easier to do it outside of the home?

Thanking you all in advance for this!

ALSO:

Obligatory reading reminder: this Saturday, 2 p.m., Borders in Christiana, launch party for THE SWEET LIFE OF STELLA MADISON with FREE CUPCAKES by Cupcake Heaven!

Obligatory contest reminder: you still have four days to enter the 50-BOOK GIVEAWAY. Aw, fudge it. You can have until Monday, August 10th, at 11:59 p.m. (I am so digging on all of the recipe entries I've been getting, and can't wait to post them soon!)

Feel free to post info about the reading/contest on your blogs!

FINALLY:

Have to give a HUGE shout-out to Little Willow, who not only rocked out my web redesign, but posted this really fun, thoughtful interview with me on her blog. LW, you are the absolute bestest EVER.

So, remember how I said that there was going to be a really fun reading/signing for THE SWEET LIFE OF STELLA MADISON at the Borders in Christiana (DE) on Saturday, August 8, at 2 p.m.? And remember how I said there were going to be cupcakes? Well, not only are there going to be cupcakes at the celebration, there are going to be the BEST CUPCAKES IN DELAWARE.

That's right - Concord Pike's own Cupcake Heaven is providing 120 of their delectable goodies in an assortment of flavors. Have you DE locals visited Cupcake Heaven yet? If not, you need to get your butt over there STAT. When I say they have the best cupcakes in Delaware, I mean they have the BEST cupcakes in Delaware. You may have heard me rant about icing in posts past; I tend to be super picky about it because most buttercreams taste like Crisco to me. But their icing - oh my WORD. Not too sweet, not too fatty, just the right amount of deliciousness.

The perfect way to celebrate a book with the word SWEET in the title, yes?

Speaking of "sweet" - don't forget that about the 50 BOOK GIVEAWAY I'm running through midnight, August 8th!

In other, more random news: I've been getting a lot of fan e-mail from readers abroad. Seems the Dutch translation of TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A HOLLYWOOD STARLET - or, DESIGNERJURKJE VS SPIJKERBROEK as it's known in the Netherlands (Babelfish seemed to think this mean "Designerjurke the US Nail Trousers," but a loyal Dutch reader informed me that it really means "Designer Dress vs. Jeans") - anyway, apparently the Dutch LOVE Morgan Carter, which I find both fascinating and really, really cool. A French translation of STARLET is due out soon - I'm going to be posting the covers of all of the foreign translations on my site at some point in the near future, because they're adorable and I still think it's hysterical that teens can read my words in other languages.

Another fun STARLET factoid: earlier this summer, when I was working on content for the new web site, I came across a Wikipedia entry for the Lifetime adaptation of STARLET that claimed mysterious "sources" had "confirmed" that a sequel to the movie was in production, and that JoJo was set to star. I e-mailed the Jody, the film agent for the project, and he directed me to Barbara Lieberman, the original movie's producer. She confirmed that there wasn't a sequel in the works (though she said she wished there was, which was nice of her to say). So, I made my first-ever edit to a Wikipedia page, under the section titled "Sequel," which you can read here. (The plot synopsis is NOT my handiwork, and I'm embarassed to say it's riddled with spelling errors and just plain bad writing. Of course, this is coming from a girl who barely remembers to spell-check her own blog, so ... take my criticism with a grain of salt.)

ANYWAY, I must return my full attention to STELLA. And here's where I pose a question: for those of you who have already read the book, do you have any thoughts on which scenes I should do at the reading? I'm thinking part of the first chapter, part of the party scene, and definitely the gnocchi scene (because seriously? I know I shouldn't say this about my own book but I think the gnocchi scene is HOTT).

Up soon: a very special episode of RECIPE OF THE WEEK! (Hint: it may have something to do with gnocchi ...)

So, after a three-year hiatus, I'm heading back to the Brandywine YMCA this January, to teach beginning creative writing. (An advanced class will be offered in the spring.) I like teaching at the Y; it's not only rewarding, but I've made some great and lasting friendships with former students. In fact, one of my original students-turned-friends just got serious interest from a major agent on her middle grade mystery series (it was a revise-and-resubmit sort of thing, with the stipulation that if she got any other interest/offers, the agent would sign her on the spot). But - and you knew there was a but, right? - filling out the paperwork to teach a weekly, one-hour-long class at the Y is so overwhelming, I cannot believe it. First, just to apply, there are like 8,000 forms, including one authorizing a background check. You need to give five separate references, all of which get checked. Then, when you're hired, there's another 8,000 forms. I had to sign one declining a Hep B vaccination because I'd already gotten it! Thank god I went through most of the rigamarole before, or else I'd have to watch videos on blood-borne pathogens, how AIDS is transmitted between people, and warning signs for child abuse. It's bad enough that in March I need to get re-certified in infant, child, and adult CPR. All to teach a creative writing class! Yowzers.

There's another benefit to teaching at the Y that makes all of the hoop-jumping worthwhile, and it's that as part of my compensation, I get a family membership for $26/mo., instead of $80+/mo. I also get an hourly salary that will not only cover that $26, but put some gas money in my pocket. So who am I to complain? The membership is good at every Y in the state, so I can meet Candy at the Bear branch or Carolee at the Kirkwood Highway one. Or, I can do stuff at the Brandywine branch before/after class. Plus, it's too cold to keep taking Joe to the Delcastle track, so it'll be nice to have a warm and toasty place to work out.

Registration for the creative writing class opens to Y members on Monday; I'll post the details then.

Now, for something completely random: why can't I find any mp3 downloads of the Original Broadway Cast recording for ANNIE? I've listened to all of the other Annies singing "Maybe," and no one can even come close to the heartbreaking tones of one Ms. Andrea McArdle. I'm DYING for this soundtrack. Amazon.com sent me a $5 gift certificate toward an mp3 purchase, and they have all of the other ANNIE soundtracks - except the one I've been wanting for two years. I should just break down and buy the CD, but I don't listen to CDs anymore. *sigh*

Oh, and file this under WTF?:

This holiday season, celebrate the historic accomplishment of our movement for change. Treat yourself or a loved one to a limited edition Obama coffee mug.

Why is our president-elect hawking coffee mugs as Christmas gifts? Seriously, does anyone else find that a little degrading? I mean, the e-mail came directly from Obama's camp, complete with linkage.

Maybe it's me, but something about that seems a little off.

Lastly, tomorrow (12/5) I will be signing books as myself and Lola at the Bel Air Barnes & Noble, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. It's part of a fundraiser for the Harford County Public Library. I think signed copies will be available after the event, as well, so if you can't make it but want a signed copy for a loved one (you know, instead of an Obama mug), that's where you should go.

This will probably be my last post until Monday. Four posts in one week! I'm getting better every day ...

So, you may have noticed that I've been largely MIA for about six weeks. There are perfectly respectable reasons for this, but they'd most likely bore the hell out of anyone who's still reading this sag-adelic blog. In order to give "girl uninterrupted" a bit of a boost, I've pledged to myself that I will begin posting at least a little something-something five days a week, starting right this very second.

May I present to you the super adorable cover for my next book, THE SWEET LIFE OF STELLA MADISON!





STELLA won't be out until July 2009, but I've been told that galleys will be available at this year's NCTE/ALAN conference in San Antonio. Know what else will be at that conference? ME! I'm speaking on a panel with Tanya Lee Stone, Laura Ruby, and David Levithan that's titled, "I Feel Good: Positive Portrayals of Sex in YA Literature." And on top of it all, my awesome publisher, Random House, has generously donated 400 paperback copies of ANYONE BUT YOU to be distributed during my signing later that same day!

Back to STELLA: I recently finished proofing the galley pages, and I have to confess, I am SO GLAD I had the opportunity to go over the manuscript one last time. Why? Because I discovered some serious authorial offenses. Like, how did we all miss the fact that I used the word "involuntarily" eight times? Literally, EIGHT TIMES. It's too bad that anyone receiving an ARC will have to be subjected to "involuntarily" seven times more than those who buy a copy in the store or check it out from the library, but hey - at least this wrong has been righted in time for publication.

P.S. Kudos to those who noticed the new journal design - and yes, it's in honor of STELLA!

So, last Thursday I headed to Wallkill, NY, to take part in Wallkill Central School District's 21st Annual Authors Day. I took the boy with me because it was a Weekend of Much Driving, and I tend to crash after a day or two of non-stop go-go-go. Anyway, I prepped for this trip like I do for all of my trips, making checklists for packing and putting together a dossier of directions and important information. We didn't need to be at the author dinner until 5 p.m., so I figured if we left by 11:30 a.m., we should still get to the hotel by 3 and have time to gussy up before heading out for said dinner. And this would've worked out fine, except that MapQuest - god love you, MapQuest - sent us to Lakeside DRIVE instead of Lakeside ROAD. Which meant that instead of finding the Comfort Inn, we drove around this very rural looking part of central NY and ended up at a residence. By the time we realized that we needed Lakeside ROAD instead of DRIVE, we were already in danger of being late for this important author dinner thing. So, I ended up pulling into a 7-11 parking lot and applying makeup while Joe tried to get directions back to the highway. Then, realizing Joe had absolutely no clue where we were or how we needed to get back, I got on the horn, got the right directions, and managed to get us to the lodge at 6:15 - the tail end of cocktail hour.

Since we didn't have time to check into the hotel and/or change, we showed up dressed in jeans while everyone else was in ... well, suits and skirts and ties and heels and pearls and yeah. Oops! Fortunately, the good folks of Wallkill were very much forgiving and made us feel right at home. Everyone was warm and friendly, and after a delicious dinner that included some chicken thing wrapped in corn stuff (yum-o!), all of the guest speakers took the mic for a few minutes to talk about themselves and their work. First up was Robert Lipsyte, who talked about getting his start in sports writing, and then Matt Novak, an author/illustrator I'd actually met several years prior at an SCBWI event, who gave a sweet speech about how his teachers had influenced him throughout his life. I went third, and riffed about being both Lara and Lola (more on that later), and then Jan Spivey Gilchrist monologued about growing up as one of 14 children (or was it 18? It was some enormous number) and let me tell you: when this woman mentioned having a 36-year-old child herself, my first thought was, "What, did she get pregnant when she was four?" SHE LOOKS SO FREAKING YOUNG, I THOUGHT SHE WAS MY AGE). Finally, illustrator Wendell Minor wrapped things up by giving an overview of his long and varied career.

Highlight of the evening (besides Bob Lipsyte explaining to me how "cool kid authors" is an oxymoron - gotta love that guy!): meeting Debra Golden, the school media specialist for John G. Borden Middle School, where I spoke the following day. Debra kept telling me I was her long-lost twin (something I'd hear from three or four other people before returning home Sunday night) and oh, she was a hoot! We bonded over our love of cheesy reality TV, Drew Barrymore, bad 1980s fashion (leggings! Leggings! Leggings!), and more. We also ended up in a very long conversation about sex in YA novels, and when talked turned to females and masturbation, I was afraid some of the other women at the table might melt into the floor. But, no - they held their own, and all in all it was a delightful evening.

The next day I was up bright and early to head to John G. Borden, where I got to speak to the 7th and 8th graders in assembly, eat lunch with some specially selected students, and hold a writing workshop for some mor specially selected students. These guys rolled out the red carpet for me - literally! You can see a cute photo journey of my day here.

By the end of the afternoon, I was already starting to lose my voice - no good, considering I had three more presentations to give on Saturday. I said my goodbyes and loaded into the car. We had to go to Platekill to pick up Jan, who needed a lift to the airport. Thank god Joe was driving; within 15 minutes of the drive both Jan and I were out cold!

Many thanks must go to Ellen Rubin, the woman responsible for putting Author's Day together. It's such a lovely event, and I am honored to be part of a long and lasting tradition.

Next up: TBF Live (or what it feels like to be a rock star for the day); E. Lockhart's GCC tour (yes, I know, late, I'm late, I suck, I've been sick!); and more!

Getting ready to head to New York for the weekend - on Friday, I'm speaking at the John G. Borden Middle School in Walkill as part of a district-wide Author's Day. Then on Saturday, my ever-present alter-ego Lola Douglas and I are appearing at the Third Annual Greater Rochester Teen Book Festival. The slate of authors is absolutley incredible - Libba Bray! Ellen Hopkins! Sara Ryan! Todd Strasser! Terry Trueman! My good friend David Lubar! just to name a few - but oh, man. This preview by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle is just so ... odd. Like, they say David "writes with humor about imaginary creatures and maladjusted students." And according to the reporter, ANYONE BUT YOU "is about a brother and sister's emotionally charged summer and includes slang, swearing and sexual content." Which I guess is technically true, but why is it that mine is the only one of the 14 featured authors' blurbs that throws around words like "swearing" and "sexual content"? The only other one that comes remotely close is Alex Sanchez's blurb, which meantions that a school district took RAINBOW BOYS off a summer reading list after some parents objected to the subject matter.

Regardless, I'm totally psyched for both of these events!

In other news: I will be touring Emily (E.) Lockhart through the GCC later tonight or tomorrow. Her official tour was last week, but you know me - I'm always ten steps behind myself. But I'm actually kind of glad I was late this time, because today the boy and I had back-to-back dental appointments and while I was waiting for his to be done I read all but the last 20 pages of HOW TO BE BAD, which the lovely Ms. Lockhart co-wrote with Lauren Myracle and Sarah Mlynowski. Such a fun read - perfect for summer - and even more proof as to how versatile Emily's writing is. Her latest solo release, THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LAUNDAU-BANKS, recently made my personal list of "21 Books Everyone Should Read Before the Age of 21," because MY GAWD, it's completely brilliant and the kind of book that inspires me to want to be a better writer. (And no, I'm not kissing Emily's butt just because she sends me the good ARCs.)

ANYHOO ... lots of trip-prep left, so I best skedaddle. (That's right, I said "skedaddle." What of it?)

Happy Wednesday!

Today, Thursday, March 13, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 p.m., you can find me live on the web! I'll be giving an interactive presentation, "True Confessions of a Two-Headed Author," with 11 schools across North America through MAGPI's "Creative Minds" series (for more info, click here). The participating schools pre-registered (and, courtesy of Random House, get free copies of CONTENTS UNDER PRESSURE - woot!), but anyone - of any age - can watch through the magic of live webstreaming! I'll be talking about how I became a writer, how blogging has affected my writing, and why sometimes it's hard to be Lola in addition to being myself. There will be a PowerPoint! With pictures from my visit to the set of the Lifetime adaptation of TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A HOLLYWOOD STARLET! And even cooler: I'll actually have a live studio audience with some teen readers from Newark High School and The College School at UD.

Now, let's just hope I don't look as dorkarific as I feel ...

I'm not listed on the web site, but I'll be at Harleysville Books Spring Reception for Regional Authors & Illustrators tomorrow, March 6th, at 6 p.m. (I was added to the slate after my previous reading/signing, scheduled for February 22nd, was canceled due to snow.) Hope those of you within driving distance will come out and say hello!

P.S. Catherine Murdoch, author of the brilliant DAIRY QUEEN, will also be there!