Elise Allen's Blog, page 15

Spreading the Word — A Letter to Friends and Family

So despite the fact that it's a good 11 days before August 1, Populazzi has for all intent and purpose been released.  It's available right now on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

My job now?  Let people know about it.  But how to do that without being completely obnoxious?  Here it's easy — I've already been obnoxious enough to label the place "eliseallen.com."  At that point all bets are off.  What I was wringing my hands over was a way to spread the word to my personal email list, which includes close friends, friends I love but rarely get to see or chat with, family members, work associates… the whole spectrum of people I know.

My friend and fabulous PR agent Crystal Patriarche could hear the sad squeak of my wringing hands even through email, and tossed me a lifeline by sending similar notes written by other clients of hers.  That gave me some footing, and from there I spent a crazy-long time putting together my thoughts in a way that was genuinely me.  I sent it out yesterday morning, and I'm sharing it here because I know a lot of you out there are also writers, and have the same struggles with self-promotion, so maybe this will help.

(Um, if you actually received this email blast from me, feel free to skip down below it — I haven't changed anything between yesterday and now.  I'll indent and italicize the letter so you know where to come back.)

Hellooooo, friends and family!!!!

It's been a long time coming, but it's finally here: my YA novel Populazzi has launched!!!!

Um… sort of.  Amazon let the cat out of the bag early, but other online stores and regular bookstores will have it August 1.  Still, it's HERE, and I'm really proud of it.  Publisher's Weekly said there's "a smart mix of hilarity and tragedy in this Macbeth–meets–Mean Girls tale"; Kirkus said "the story unflinchingly depicts the dark and dangerous side of high school popularity, making it a captivating read", Girl's Life Magazine named it one of the Top Forty Hits of the Summer, and some writers I admire like crazy wrote amazing blurbs for it that make me blush with giddy happiness.

Everyone has been so supportive along the way, and I want to thank you so much.  A lot of you have also asked how you can help, and in fact, there's a lot you can do to help make this book a success.  Here are the biggies:

1) BUY THE BOOK!

Buy for you, buy for friends, buy for strangers, buy for pets (Riley loves it!).  It's just ten dollars from the online shops ($17 from the indies).  It makes a great back-to-school gift for someone in high school or college, but don't feel limited by the YA genre — people of all ages (up to my 91-year old grandmother!) have read and enjoyed it.  If you buy a book and you want it signed to someone, I'm happy to do it!  Bring or send it my way, and I'll do my best to write a message that's legible.  Here are some store links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Populazzi-Elise-Allen/dp/0547481535/

Barnes and Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/populazzi-elise-allen/1023995184?ean=9780547481531

Indie Bound:  http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780547481531



2) REVIEW THE BOOK!

If you like it, write a review on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and/or Goodreads.  (If you're not on Goodreads, it's EASY and FREE to join — http://www.goodreads.com/user/sign_up – then you can put Populazzi in your bookshelf and foist many stars upon it!)  The review doesn't have to be long: "Loved it!" or "Hysterical!" are totally valid.  A drawing of Roger Ebert's thumb raised in triumph?  Equally awesome.

3) FOLLOW ME ONLINE!

I've got a whole party going online.  Follow me on Twitter (@EliseLAllen and @ThePopulazzi); become a fan on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elise-Allens-Author-Page/107228362677162); and check out my websites: my personal blog at www.eliseallen.com, and the way-fab teen style site www.populazzi.com.  If you like what you see, spread the word!

4) CHAT UP BOOKSTORES AND LIBRARIES!

Don't see Populazzi at your bookstore or library?  Don't tell me or I'll start hyperventilating, but DO tell the librarian or bookstore that by golly, they need that book on their shelves!

5) ALERT THE MEDIA!

Y'know, if you know someone who knows someone who maybe reviews books at Entertainment Weekly, or writes for Seventeen Magazine, or talks to Oprah on a daily basis (hey, she may not have a show, but she's still Oprah)… by all means spread the word about the book, the populazzi.com website, the fact that my dog can raise one ear independently of the other… you know, whatever gets them excited.

Also, if you blog or tweet, YOU are the media!!!  Please spread the word about the book — I appreciate it beyond belief.

5) COME SEE ME!

I'm doing a book signing at Vroman's in Pasadena August 6th at 2pm.  I'll have food, music from the book and trailer (if they'll let me play it–who doesn't want a dance party in a bookstore?), I'll read a little sumthin', and I'll scrawl like mad on any copy of the book set in front of me.  If you already have the book, and you're available, please come anyway — I know from experience that Vromans is fine with you bringing your own personal copies of the book to get signed, plus it's a great excuse to hang out and eat great snacks!  For those of you not in L.A. (or those who are but can't make this event), keep an eye on the blog — I'll be posting more events as they come up!

THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your support, and for hanging with me through this long email.  I so appreciate all your help, and I look forward to returning the favor however I can.

Much love,

Elise

I was a little nervous before I hit "send."  I'm always a little nervous about things like this — the whole Don't Be Obnoxious rule of thumb I mentioned earlier.  Then I remembered that I get similar emails all the time — about friends' book events, or their movies, their TV show episodes, their gallery shows — and they never bother me at all.  I'm actually happy to see what they're up to, and if I can go to the event, or spread the word about the show, etc., I do it.

So I took a deep breath and hit send, and I have to say…

…my friends and family are awesome.

I've gotten a slew of wonderful, supportive emails — so loving that I feel like I'm in the middle of a giant e-hug.  They've also been buying the book, spreading the word, offering to help in any way they can… I'm beyond beyond grateful (not a typo — it needed two "beyond"s).

Today's Aesop moral?  Don't be afraid to reach out to everyone you know when you have something big going on in your life.  Your friends want to help and support you — even the friends you haven't seen in a long time.

So tell me… have you sent out similar emails for your books, shows, plays, etc.?  If so, what kind of response did you get?

As always, I look forward to your thoughts!

 

 

Dude, A Reply From Sven Giersmann's Wife!!!

Not Sven Giersmann

Hello, blogosphere friends!  I have very exciting news today!

Nope, not about Populazzi (though it is out now via Amazon.com), but about… wait for it… SVEN GIERSMANN!

As you might recall, when I was blogging about the then-upcoming Emmys and wondering to whom I should geek out, my cousin Darren posted, "…you could go up to one of the nominees for Outstanding Achievement in Live and Direct to Tape Sound mixing and fawn all over them, and explain how there's a really devoted fanbase for their work, and could you take a photo for next year's trading cards?… Yeah, I think I'm on to something here. Bring a video camera, find Sven Giersman (Monitor Mixer on the Rally to Restore Sanity), go all fangirl on him…"

Well, the blog indeed went all fangirl/fanboy on him, with lots of people chiming in about Sven Giersmann and our absolute adoration of both him and his show (which kicked serious butt and was robbed at the Creative Arts Emmys).

Know what I found in my inbox today?  This comment:

Deanna Giersmann says:

So very glad that you have given a bit of notoriety to my husband, Sven Giersmann. He was glad to have been nominated with such a cool group of folks, glad to have worked on such a cool show with really cool people. Also, our 6 year old and our 2 year old think that Dinosaur Train rocks. Keep up the good work.

Can you even believe it????

I was of course thrilled, and responded that we all adore Sven and his work, and we're thrilled that she's now hanging with us here at the blog.  Clearly Sven not only has incredible talent as a Monitor Mixer, but he was also brilliant at choosing a wife, and his kids have great taste.

It's only a matter of time before Sven Giersmann is trending on Twitter.

#svengiersmannrules

'Til tomorrow, everyone!

Guess What I Got in the Mail???

Yup, that's them: my GORGEOUS box of final Populazzi hardcovers!!!!!

I'm ridiculously thrilled, and must drive one over to my grandmother immediately, since she may well be even more thrilled than I am.

We're now 13 days until the book is officially out there… and yet it's already out there on Amazon.com, so I'm all kinds of discombobulated, but in a good way.

To add to the discombobulation, I woke up today with a nasty migraine.  My usual cure is lots of water, coffee (they say caffeine is good for headaches), Excedrin Migraine (which my sister discovered has the EXACT same ingredients as Extra-Strength Excedrin, but the placebo effect of the word "Migraine" on the label seems to help), and a deep tissue massage at the super-cheap and mega-amazing The Massage Place.  However, Miss M is home sick, so that last one ain't happening.

Hence… I turn to you.  Any great headache cures you love?

Thanks in advance!

It's Here??? NOW???

So my sister-in-law just sent me this email, forwarded to her from Amazon.com:

Hello,

We have received new release date information related to the order you placed on June 14 2011. The item(s) listed below will actually ship sooner than we originally expected based on the new release date:

Elise Allen "Populazzi"

Previous estimated arrival date: August 04 2011 – August 08 2011

New estimated arrival date: July 21 2011 – July 22 2011

Oh.  My.  God.

So my release date, while still technically August 1… is for all intent and purpose… pretty much now!

Okay, not quite now.  If before it was due to arrive August 4th, three days post-release, and now it's due to arrive the 21st, then the actual release is July 18th… this coming Monday!

That big paper bag in the image for the site?  That's for me to breathe into.  Deeply.  To stop the hyperventilating.

I guess if you want the book and don't want to wait, check out Amazon!  They're the sneak preview of booksellers!

As for me, I'll just be here… doing deep cleansing breaths… and maybe doing a little screaming happy dance as I go on lockdown here in the Valley for Carmageddon.

Squee!!!

The Happiest Blogs on Earth

As is usually the case when I miss a couple days of blogging, it's because I was traveling.  I'm not sure this one really qualifies as "traveling," since it was just a short hop down the freeway, but I WAS AT DISNEYLAND!!!!

If you've been following the blog, you know I go to Disneyland A LOT, so it's no shocker I was there, but this was a special trip for several reasons:

1) I got to snag my 8-year-old nephew and take him along for the overnight trip.  He has an older sister, and while she and I have always had a love-fest going, he and I never spent as much alone time together.  This overnight was great bonding time, and it was a complete pleasure — he's beyond delicious.

2) Loved-loved-loved the nephew time, then for the second day, his older sister and their mom (my niece and sis-in-law) joined us, and that was a huge treat.  Miss M and I are at Disneyland several times a month, but we've never been with SIL and both kids.  Super-fun.

2) MISS M WENT ON MY FAVORITE RIDES!!!!!  It was awesome.  For the first time, she wanted to go on "All the mountains!!!"  It was too crowded for that, but we DID go on Splash Mountain three times in a row, Space Mountain, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye, which is a SPECTACULAR ride!  Miss M and my nephew were shellshocked when we finished, and for a movement I thought I was the worst mommy/aunt in the universe.  Then my nephew raised his fists in victory and let out a five-minute-long scream of triumph, and Miss M started spitballing a breathless list of everything that freaked her out about the ride… and how much she loved it!

A word about Disneyland for L.A. peeps (or people coming to visit) — they're doing a MAJOR promotion right now.  Stay in one of the Disney hotels (Grand Californian, Paradise Pier, or Disneyland Hotel), and each member of your party gets TWO fast-passes.  These passes are good for any ride in either park, and they get you onto the ride immediately (regular Fast Passes involve waiting until later in the day).  I know the hotels aren't cheap, but the promotion makes it kinda worthwhile.

Since we're talking about happy things… I'm very happy to be appearing at two terrific blogs.  Come check out my interviews at Mint Tea and a Good Book (where I reveal the deep dark secret of my favorite tea), and Reading Upon a Star, where I confess my love for a certain round leafy green vegetable.

Also on the happy list — how cool that Chris Colfer was nominated for an Emmy for Glee!  I love his work, and I feel a degree of separation closer to him since his book is being repped by the same amazing Rob Weisbach that reps the Elixir series.  Yay!

Now, back to the amusement park thing.  The last two days were Miss M's foray into Disney's E-ticket rides.  Do you remember your first time on a scary, big-kid ride?  Which was it and where?  Did you love it, or were you freaked out?

Gotta run — if we lose each other, let's meet at the Matterhorn!

COME ONE, COME ALL!!!!

HEY!!!!

Everyone in the L.A. area, please mark your calendars: I'm having a BOOK LAUNCH PARTY on Saturday, August 6th, 2pm at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena.

Oh sure, their calendar just says it'll be a signing and a discussion, but I'm thinking party.  For sure there will be food.  Might have to ship in Tastykakes.  Maybe they'll let me bring music, too — a mix of songs mentioned in the book, perhaps?

I'll see what I can do, but for sure I'll make it fun for anyone who comes.

I do need some help with one element of the event though, and I need it from those of you who have done me the honor of reading the book.  I'll be reading from it during the party, and I have absolutely no clue which section to read.  The part where Cara defines all the levels of the Popularity Tower springs to mind, certainly… but there are other moments I think could be great too, so I'm torn.

And when I'm torn, I turn to you!

If you've read the book, what part do you think I should use?  Normally I'd ask you to respond in the comments section, and you still can, but only if it's a spoiler-free comment.  If it's spoiler-ful, just email me at elise@eliseallen.com.

If you haven't read the book, I can still totally use your help.  What would you love to see at a book signing that would make the experience really fun for you?  I'm totally open to ideas.

Thanks in advance for the help.  And if you'll be in the area, I hope you can come by August 6th — I'd love to see you there!

To Sleep, or Not to Sleep?

Me at four in the morning... think it's time to go back to bed.

So now that I've turned the big… a year older, I'm trying to make a concerted effort to be good to myself.  I happened to wake up at 4 in the morning because, as my daughter will tell you at the drop of a hat, "Mommy has a really small bladder."  This works to my advantage though, because it means I'll wake up at some point in the night, and that's a great opportunity to work!

Or is it?

I'm really bleary-eyed, and I'm thinking that instead of staying up after I put up this post and knocking items off my to-do list (which sounds really tempting and lovely), I should go back to sleep for a couple hours.

I'm torn, because I have a million things to do, I'm loving the pre-dawn quiet, and I've already had six hours — which is a lot for me… but if I'm squinching the sleep-sand out of my eyes every few seconds, I'm probably trying to tell myself something.

This probably sounds like a lot of overthinking for a basic human function, but I'm not always good at listening to my body.  I have a giant scar (badge of honor) on my left shin because I kept doing two-foot-high box jumps when I knew my legs were exhausted and about to give out; and a similarly large scar on my left arm because I did a ten mile run with a partner I knew was too fast for me — my legs were so exhausted and weak, I ate it on a patch of gravel.  And let's not even get started on the lack of synaptic connection between my eyes and my stomach.

So listening to my body… not a specialty.  I'm going to work on it though, starting with a nap.  Immediately.

How do you balance sleep and work?  Are you someone who functions wonderfully with very little sleep?  Do you listen when your body says you need more sleep, or do you push through to make more of a dent in your to-do list?  Where does sleep fall in your priority list?

I look forward to your thoughts… after I wake up again in a few hours.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!

Hi, everyone!  Hope you had a great July 4th weekend!  My own July 4th always extends a couple days because my birthday is July 6th — TODAY!

I'm a huge birthday fan — I love doing up birthdays for Miss M and my husband, and I also love enjoying my own, no matter what the number attached (at least so far, and today's is a HUGE one!).  I've spent the last few days celebrating with friends in Montecito (stand-up paddleboarding!), and have fabulous plans through the weekend.

Wondering what I want for my birthday?  Easy!  Pre-order Populazzi and you'll give me the best present in the world!  In fact, if you pre-order it today (from anywhere, doesn't have to be Amazon) and send me a copy of your e-receipt at elise@eliseallen.com, I'll send you a Populazzi temporary tattoo!

And while we're talking birthdays, what has been your best birthday celebration so far, and what made it so special?

Thanks for coming by the blog and celebrating with me!  Now I'm going to close my eyes and blow out all those candles!!!!

Live… From Los Angeles… It's Populazzi.com!!!!

Yup, I've been nattering about it for ages now, but here it is… Populazzi.com!

The launch site is filled with incredible content, and I'm so thankful to all the amazingly talented contributors.  If you head over to Populazzi.com, you'll find…

Life Beyond the Ladder — the real high school stories of YA author Eileen Cook, Broadway Actor/Muppeteer Stephanie D'Abruzzo, and Screenwriter/Actor/Producer David Hayter, and how those dramas and traumas shaped their adult lives.

Three Ask the Style Experts challenges, all fielded brilliantly by professional costumer/wardrobe consultant Kresta Lins and professional makeup artist Yolanda Price.

Tower Tips: Organizing for Summer with professional organizer Tina Brooks; The Perfect Summer Makeup Palette from makeup artist Maria Buchanan; and The Keys to Successful Shopping, from our own style expert Kresta Lins.

Fab Finds, including those contributed by Fab book bloggers at Electrifying Reviews and Yay! Reads.

The Celeb Style, where columnists/celeb fans Karen and Dallas tell us why they love Lady Gaga, Hilary Duff, and Taylor Swift.

Most of all, I have to give a shout-out to my amazing web designer, Betsy Cohen.  This is a woman with mad Word Press skills.  I'm pretty much in awe of her.

Check out the site, and if you get the chance, let me know what you think.  This is a new adventure, and I look forward to your feedback!

 

They Do It Just A Little Bit Better

I'm very late to the party on this one: I've just started reading the Pretty Little Liars books.

Guess what?  They're set in the suburbs of Philadelphia!  I'm from the suburbs of Philadelphia!  Sara Shepard even mentions Wawa within the first few chapters!

I'm ecstatic, and even more eager to read the series now.

I happen to be on a Philly roll.  I recently read Jennifer Jabaley's Lipstick Apology, in which the lead character moves from… the suburbs of Philly!  And as I blogged the other day, I just finished The Silver Lining Playbook, which not only takes place in Philly, but my team, the Philadelphia Eagles, are a major part of the story.  Bliss!

Is it just me, or do you also get excited when a book is set in your hometown, or another place you know well?  Do you get more excited about that, or about a book that takes you to a place you've never been and brings it to life for you?

Maybe it's because I left when I was fairly young (with no regrets), but I get waaaaay more excited about books set in and around my hometown.  It's probably why I set Populazzi there.

Hmmm… now I'm craving cheesesteaks and Tastykakes…