Elise Allen's Blog, page 23

My Trip to ALA!

DUDE… THAT'S MY BOOK!!!!

Yup, there I am, completely dorking out at my visit to the ALA mid-winter conference.

For anyone who doesn't know — which would have included me until a couple weeks ago — the ALA is the American Library Association, and their mid-winter meeting was at the San Diego Convention Center.  I'm sure this meeting included a lot of… well… meeting-y stuff, but what I went to check out was the exhibits, which consisted of what seemed like every publishing house on the planet showing off their upcoming books… about a zillion of which were YA, with the same audience as Populazzi.

This realization could have been daunting.  It probably should have been daunting, like entering the Total Perspective Vortex in the Hitchhiker's Guide series.  But amidst the entire unimaginable infinity of the ALA Convention, I focused laser-like on the stack of Populazzis.  And while I can't say I felt like the most important being in the universe… I felt pretty damn Zaphod Beeblebrox awesome.

Still completely geeking out...

The best part about hitting the convention was meeting all the people from Harcourt who have until now just been names in my in-box.  Sadly, my Unbelievably Brilliant Editor Samantha McFerrin didn't make this trip, but I got to meet one of the other HMH editors, as well as the whole marketing and publicity team, all of whom I loved.

Me with HMH Publicity Peeps Jennifer Groves and Karen Walsh -- LOVE THEM!

Everyone was incredibly complimentary and supportive.  Even more importantly, when I told them I'm champing at the bit to do anything I can to help them get the book out there, they responded with concrete advice, and even brainstormed some ridiculously cool ideas (which I hope to be able to share soon) on the spot.

Oh… they even showed me the secret underbelly of their booth.

ON the display table......

...and the super-secret stash BENEATH the display table!

Of course, I didn't just hang out and drool over my own book.  I had come to the convention with my friend Betsy, the librarian at my daughter's school and a phenomenal human being.  Given her job, she had some very pressing things to do at this conference.

Like drool over my book along with me!!!!

Eventually, we did drag ourselves away.  After all, there was a giant room full of books.  And free snacks.  There were stellar mango smoothies from a company named Mango that sold… no idea what they sold, but they might want to consider the smoothie business.  And the company that was giving out squares of Ghirardelli dark chocolate?  I am in full support of them… whatever it is they do.

But back to the books.  It really was an incredible joy to walk around all the tables and see everything displayed.  I was especially excited to see Matthew Quick's book Sorta Like a Rock Star VERY prominently displayed at the Little, Brown booth.  I became friendly with Matt and his wife Alicia Bessette (author of the wonderful Simply From Scratch) through The Debutante Ball, and since Matt's as huge a Philadelphia Eagles fan as I am, he deserves a little happiness after the crushing season-ending game.  Hope this helps!

Even better, the book was featured in an ALA poster starring the cast of my favorite TV show, Glee! It's a great poster — I had to buy one for my daughter.  Mercedes is reading Matt's book, and you can tell she's totally into it.

Another thrill was seeing The Wish Stealers by Tracy Trivas.  I haven't read the book yet, but Tracy and I share a manager, so I was excited to see her book featured.  Oh, and what's that book on display just seven down from Tracy's?  You might have to click on the pic to see…

Yup, it's the New York Times Bestselling Elixir, by Hilary Duff with Elise Allen!  How crazy-cool is that?

And to top it all off, I got to pop in on Sonya Sones, who was at the Harper booth signing copies of The Hunchback of Nieman Marcus.  Sonya is a fellow LAYA (Los Angeles Young Adult author — I group I joined recently), but I've actually known her for ages without having any idea who she really is.  Her husband was one of my first bosses when I moved to L.A.  I was a writers' assistant on Saved by the Bell: The New Class, and he was the head writer on the show.  She signed a copy of her book for me, and I can't wait to read it.

All in all, visiting the Conference was a spectacular experience, and I'm so glad I made the trip.

Did anyone else out there make it to ALA in San Diego?  What did you enjoy the most?  Are there other conferences and/or book festivals that you love?  If so, which ones do you like best and why?  I'd love to hear all about them!

xo,

E

My Dirty Little Secret

I have a confession to make.

It happened last fall… I let a stranger into my life.

At first it was my own little secret. I kept it to myself, fantasizing about all the delicious possibilities, but it was too tantalizing to keep to myself. In excited whispers I admitted it to my closest friends… but not my husband. I wasn't ready for that.

Then I invited the stranger over — a clandestine meeting when no one else was home… and I knew I'd have to come clean.

I waited until our daughter was asleep, then approached my husband. My insides fluttered, but I took a deep breath and dove in.

"Honey…" I heard my voice crack a little as I started. One more deep breath. "Honey… I've hired a professional organizer."

The ridiculous thing is I'm not exaggerating at all.  Telling my husband about the organizer was like confessing to an affair.  I was terrified.  Not that I needed to be; I'm married to a great guy.  He was totally on board, and has been throughout the process — though he was highly amused by the X-acto blades getting "organized" at the bottom of a basket… where he'd risk laceration if he tried to reach in and get one.

The irrational fear was all about me.  I have this perfectionist thing where I feel like I have to handle everything.  I "should" be able to write all kinds of freelance jobs, be a kick-ass wife and mom, train for marathons, give back to the community, blah blah blah everything-in-the-universe, AND turn my very messy house (my bad habits at play, not my husband's) into a pristine, organized wonderland.

Calling Tina (my secret stranger, and the best organizer on the planet) was admitting to myself that I couldn't do it.  And while admitting it to myself in this case felt titillating, like I was sneaking alcohol from my parents' basement bar, admitting it to my husband was hard.  I was afraid he'd be disappointed that I wasn't superhuman.  Again, not because that's his expectation, but because it's mine, and I liked the idea of him seeing me through those oh-wow-she's-perfect glasses.

Of course the truth is he knows me well enough that those glasses came off ages ago.  Probably the day we met when he came "back to my place" and encountered a toxic waste zone where a two-week-old birthday cake was doubling as an ashtray… but that's another story.

I'll keep you posted on the Organizational Odyssey (which is still very much in progress and AMAZING), but in the meantime…

What secrets have you held in when you didn't have to?  I don't mean things like affairs or cheating on your taxes, but things like this, where it's only your own neuroses that make it seem like something naughty.

Can't wait to hear 'em!

Oh, in the meantime… if you're in L.A. and need an organizer, check out Tina!  She's incredible.  And she didn't run away screaming when she first saw my in-home office, which is impressive.

My Own Face Is Making Me Dizzy!!!!

It's 2011, THE YEAR IN WHICH POPULAZZI WILL BE RELEASED!!!!!!

{insert scream and happy dance}

Now that Kick-Ass Editor Sam McFerrin and I have made our ARC changes, my writing work on the book is pretty much done. Now it's all about promotion. And for that, I need an author pic.

I turned to the amazing and wonderful Steve Goldstein (who is also an amazing and wonderful friend), and he took enough pictures to make my head spin.  With the help of blogger extraordinaire Brent Taylor from The Naughty Book Kitties, I chose one… and then Steve sent me even more, very similar to the one we chose, but each a little different… and now I'm completely flummoxed.  Not only do I have no idea what to choose, but I've also stared at my own face so much, it's starting to look alien and freakish to me.

In other words, I need help.  I've reached back out to Brent, and I would also love your input.  I was going to paste the current top contenders here, but for some reason WordPress won't let me, so I made a MobileMe gallery where you can check them out.

Some thoughts on my end…

Elise37 — I like it, but isn't it a little weird that my boobs are sliding off the bottom right corner?  Makes me feel like a pyramid.  Maybe it would work if it were cropped closer…

Elise45 — I like it… again, so numb staring at my own face it's hard to judge, but I think it's cute.

Elise2 — I think I like this one more.  I look a little more alive, and there's some personality to it.

Elise62 — Same as Elise2, except further back.  One thing — am I crazy, or does it look like there's weird swirly stuff going on around the boobs?  Especially the left one — it feels like an Elaine moment in Seinfeld.  And why am I having so many boob issues with an author pic???

Elise116 — I liked this one when I posted it, but now it looks a little dead-behind-the-eyes to me.  Maybe I was getting sleepy.

EliseTest1 — There's something I like about this, with the blue shirt and blue eyes… but it somehow feels more like a picture I'd use if I were teaching a class at The Learning Annex.  What do you think?

One word:  HELP!

Okay, two words: PLEASE HELP!

Do you like any of them?  Which — if any — of them do you think I should use as my go-to publicity pic for all things Populazzi???

Thanks in advance for your help!!!

xo,

E

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My Little Pink Book

Wanna know what a huge geek I am?

Every year, sometimes on December 31st, sometimes during the week before, I dig out a pink notebook.  Always the same pink notebook.  It has a blue bookmark — a built-in string one.  I open this notebook and I look up all my resolutions from last year, then assess how I did on each one.  Since things have always popped up that surprised me from the year before (who knew in late December 2008 that I'd get a book deal in 2009???), I make note of those as well.

I can spend hours ruminating over the year that's passing.  I write down where I think I did well, what I can do better, where I'm achieving/lacking in every area: personal, professional, financial… I break it all down like an NFL coach watching tape to prepare for the Super Bowl.

Then I dive into my resolutions for the New Year.  Each category gets at least a page, and the categories change depending on where I am.  Looking at my "Gearing up for 2005″ entry, I have Work, Purchases (it was a year we wanted to make big changes in the house), Organization and Other Non-Work Projects, Finance, Health/Fitness/Grooming, Husband/Miss M, and Social.

It's a process.

And it's a process I remember going through at the end of 2010.

But when I dragged out the pink book yesterday and flipped through it… the last entry was "Gearing up for 2009."  2009?!?!  What about 2010?!?!  How could I ruminate, assess, and plan without my chart for 2010?!?!

I freaked out… but only for a second.  I was hanging out with my daughter, and she wanted to go to the park and kick the soccer ball around.  Then we went to visit a friend, and after that there was some cleaning to do, and then we had to get ready for a New Year's gathering with some friends… there was no time to freak.

Now here I am on New Year's morning, and I still haven't been able to do my annual ritual.

Oddly, I'm feeling okay with it.  Maybe that's a sign of progress.  Maybe I'm getting more centered.

I'll have to note that in my little pink book today… when I write down my resolutions for 2011. 

Do you have any New Year's rituals?  Do you make resolutions?  What's your favorite part of starting a new year?

Raiders of the Lost ARC

See that?  That's me, with my ARC of Populazzi, All the dog-eared pages are the ones on which I found changes.  I don't know if you can tell, but there are very few pages that are not dog-eared.

And those are just my changes — my Fabulous Editor Extraordinaire, Samantha McFerrin, had changes too.

This, then, is a fascinating part of the process for an author… because the ARCs are out there.  People are reading them.  Lots of people — bloggers and reviewers whose opinions I respect very much.  They're reading the ARCs, and for many of them, the ARC will be their only journey through this book… and it's an imperfect journey.

Granted, it's not like most of the changes Sam and I made are cataclysmic.  Here's an example of a change I made:

p. 13, line 25, please REPLACE "insecure" with "self-conscious."  More accurate.

I take nothing away from the brilliance of my early readers when I say that this is a change they most likely wouldn't even notice.  The vast majority of the changes in this pass are similar to that — little tweaks for clarity, or to avoid word repetition.  If I were making notes on this paragraph, for example, I'd tweak it to avoid saying "change" two times so close to one another.

Still, those little tweaks matter.  They make a difference.  And in about two or three places, the changes kick up a notch, rewording a page-or-two-long segment.  Even then, it's not like the story changes — not even every word changes — but the tone and texture change in what to me is a very profound way.

That, of course, is the key.  "To me" every change is profound, and the version of the book that comes out in August will be significantly better than the ARC.  Yet while it's certainly true that the hardcover book will be more fine-tuned than the ARC… I'm not positive that any readers who did read both would actually recognize the changes when they saw them.

Or maybe they would.

Big picture, I can't stress about that.  I can't magically make all the new tweaks appear in the ARC.  People are going to read the book in its imperfect state.  That's okay.

One great thing about making all those ARC changes was getting to read the book again, start to finish… and it made me really, really happy.  Yes, the version that comes out in August will be even better, but the ARC is still a strong representative, and I'm excited it's out there.

So here's a question for you.  Writers, have you had this experience?  Have you sent out the ARC feeling like it's all but a finished product… then combed through and found all kinds of things to change?

As for bloggers and other ARC-readers, do you ever read the finished book of an ARC you've read?  When you do, do you notice the changes between the two drafts?

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Fever 1793

Yet another LHA post, and another chance to win a copy of Speak! To enter for a spot in the drawing, just comment below, tweet about this post (and include @EliseLAllen), or refer someone to the page and have them mention you in the comment (and you'll both be entered).

This was the second Laurie Halse Anderson book I ever read.  I was ravenous for more for her once I read Speak, and snapped this up knowing nothing about it but that it came from her.  While the book was a million miles from Speak, it was also completely riveting, and I'd recommend it to everyone.

Fever 1793 takes place in… no shock here… 1793, and like all Laurie's historical fiction, it's impeccably researched.  I didn't know this before reading the book, but there was indeed a massive outbreak of yellow fever in Philadelphia in 1793 — close on the heels of the Revolution — that wiped out a huge portion of the population in just a few months.

In the middle of this post-Revolutionary world we meet 16-year-old Mattie.  She lives a comfortable life of relative privilege, but it's shattered when the illness sweeps through the city.  Mattie is forced to rely on herself, find the inner strength inside her, and grow up very quickly as she does what she needs to both survive and help those around her.

Despite the age of the protagonist, Fever 1793 has a younger reach than some of her other books, so it's a great introduction for younger readers.  Yet no matter what your age, you'll find yourself completely drawn into the world of Mattie and this epidemic.  I highly recommend it.

Opening it up to you — have you read Fever 1793? After chatting about LHA all week, what's the book of hers you most want to read — or the favorite one you've read — and why?

Want more LHA?  Visit her at her blog, or come over to The Debutante Ball tomorrow and see Laurie's guest blog!  See you there!

Wintergirls

Yet another LHA post, and another chance to win a copy of Speak! To enter for a spot in the drawing, just comment below, tweet about this post (and include @EliseLAllen), or refer someone to the page and have them mention you in the comment (and you'll both be entered).

So today I'm Deadline Woman and I don't have a lot of blogging time, which means I'll have to make this quick.

Wintergirls is my favorite Laurie Halse Anderson book of all time.

Before Wintergirls, I was positive nothing could ever compare with the genius of Speak, but Laurie proved me wrong with this remarkable journey into the mind of a girl struggling with anorexia.

To be fair, I'm an easy target for this book.  I've spent time in Eating Disorder Land, so this story hit home in a major way.  But just like you don't need to have lived through a trauma like Melinda's to appreciate Speak, I have confidence that even those with no food issues whatsoever will be completely engrossed by Lia's story.  (Are there any women with absolutely no food issues whatsoever?  If you're out there, I salute you.)

I wish I'd had Wintergirls when I was younger.  I think I'd have wept with the gratitude of recognition.  This book is a must for anyone struggling with the issues that lie beneath anorexia and bulimia.  For others, it's an enlightening window into that world, and completely unforgettable.

I'd love to hear your thoughts about Wintergirls, or other books that have cast a spotlight on issues close to your heart.  What were they, and how did they impact your life?

Chains and Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson

Another LHA post, another chance to win a copy of Speak! To enter for a spot in the drawing, just comment below, tweet about this post (and include @EliseLAllen), or refer someone to the page and have them mention you in the comment (and you'll both be entered).

Last month, I had the pleasure of speaking to a group of fifth graders about books and writing.  All the kids were terrific, but there was one I especially enjoyed.  Nearly eleven, she already had a daily schedule of journaling and working on her fiction; she had an opinion about everything; and she could hold her own in any adult conversation, and relished the chance to prove it.

We'll call her Brenda.

Brenda was — to no one's surprise — the most well-read kid in the room.  She had a long list of favorites, and expounded on what she loved best about each book and author.

It wasn't long before I brought up one of my favorite authors (surprise surprise), Laurie Halse Anderson.  I knew the crowd was too young for Speak or Wintergirls, but I imagined Chains and Forge would be appropriate.  I raved about the books, but warned that they aren't easy reads.

The novels are the stories of Isabel and Curzon, two young slaves at the time of the Revolutionary War.  Chains is narrated by Isabel, a thirteen year old who is sold along with her five year old sister.  Their lives are neither sugar-coated nor played for melodrama, which makes the story all the more horrible… and all the more wonderful.  The horror is of course the constant slap in the face that while Isabel herself is fictitious, her story is completely real.  The wonder comes on two levels, both from Isabel's drive and spirit, and from the clear-eyed, unvarnished view of what America was really like at this time in its history.

I started telling the class about Chains and Forge (which picks up after Chains ends, is narrated by Curzon, and takes us from city life into the realities of being a soldier in the Revolutionary War), and Brenda grew very uncomfortable.  She said she couldn't bear to read any historical fiction or non-fiction that was too disturbing.  Several months ago she'd read Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, and it was awful for her.  She understood that terrible things happened in the world, but she didn't want to read about them, because that brought it too close to home.

I get it.  Books like Chains and Forge are not light.  If you have a shred of empathy, you will find moments where you're ripped apart, where you're screaming at the injustice of it all, and at the hypocrisy — Isabel and Curzon are enslaved by the very community that's risking their lives for freedom.  The emotional roller coaster is even greater because Laurie's writing is never manipulative.  She doesn't editorialize; she simply tells the story, always remaining true to her narrators and to history.

So I sympathized with Brenda.  And yet what I told her (and the librarian backed me up — good to have the professional educator behind me) is that it's the discomfort in reading these books and others like them that make them so important.  You can't learn from history unless you know it.  Textbooks explain the facts, but Chains and Forge bring the past to life viscerally, in a way no reader will ever forget.  If you read these books, if you walk in Isabel and Curzon's shoes, you cannot turn a blind eye to those unjustly suffering at the hands of others, whether that suffering is happening centuries in the past, half a world away, or in our own backyards.

Your turn — have you read Chains and Forge?  What did you think?  What other works of historical fiction have you enjoyed and admired?  Remember — everyone who comments will have a chance to win a copy of Speak, so let me know your thoughts!

Laurie Halse Anderson Week — GIVEAWAY!

In honor of one of my idols, Laurie Halse Anderson, appearing this Saturday at The Debutante Ball, I hereby dub it LAURIE HALSE ANDERSON WEEK!  In honor of this spectacle, my super-fab PR guru Crystal Patriarche and I have purchased ten, that's TEN copies of Laurie's there-are-not-enough-superlatives-in-the-world book Speak… and we're giving them away to YOU!

All you have to do is leave a comment on any of this week's posts (Dec 14th through 18th), and you're automatically entered in the random drawing.  To increase your chances, tweet about the giveaway and mention @EliseLAllen (so I can see you've tweeted).  Finally, if you refer someone to leave a comment, and they mention your name, you're both entered.  See?  All kinds of ways to join the fun.

So back to Laurie Halse Anderson, and why I am so in awe of her.

Around ten years ago, I was one of those people.  I believed children's books (including YA)… were actually for children.  No way would I read anything like that — I was a grown-up!

Speak changed my perspective entirely.

I'm sad to say I can't remember who demanded I get my hands on the book, but it had to be someone I respected, because I listened.  Still, I was dubious… until I cracked it open.

Speak is among the best books I've ever read.  Not among the best YA books, but the best books period.  I was hooked from the very start:

It is my first morning of high school.  I have seven new notebooks, a skirt I hate, and a stomachache.

Simple, direct, and real.  We've all had that moment.  Even when it quickly becomes apparent that there's a lot more going on with Melinda than typical first-day-of-school jitters, the writing style keeps her experience immediate and completely relatable.  This makes it all the more devastating when the truth eventually comes out.

Laurie's writing took my breath away; it still does.  She is my inspiration — I strive to create stories and characters with her level of emotional honesty.  It's thanks to her that I am now both a ravenous reader and a writer of YA novels, and I'm so happy to blog about her and share her work this week.

But it's not a conversation if it's just me talking.  Join in!  What YA novel (whether it's one of LHA's or not) had the greatest impact on you?  Remember, every comment is a chance to win a copy of Speak. If you haven't read it, this is a great chance to get your hands on it.  If you have, Christmas is right around the corner — who wouldn't want a copy of Speak under the tree?

Books for Christmas?

It should come as no shock that I love books.  I also love books as presents, and I'm quite positive there's a perfect gift-book for everyone… I just don't always know it.  I'm a ravenous reader, but a lot of you out there put me to shame in that regard.

Hence, I'm turning to you for help with my Christmas list!

My original plan was to give you descriptions of some of the personalities for whom I'm shopping… but the problem is that there's a chance they'll read my blog and know it's them.  So I'm going to keep things a little more vague.

If you would be so kind, please tell me…

What are the best books you've ever received as gifts, and what made them so perfect for you?

Thanks… and ho ho ho!