Mindi Scott's Blog, page 10

Blog: My visit to Simon & Schuster

The day after the Books of Wonder event, Dwayne and I went to Simon & Schuster where I got to meet and hang out with lots of people there including my publicist, the Freefall cover designer, Pulse and Aladdin editors, and the "service team."  (In quotes, because that isn't their official job title, even if it's what they sometimes call themselves.)

Here's the sign that announced my visit to all:



And this is me with my agent, Jim McCarthy, and my editor, Liesa Abrams standing in front of a Freefall display in the lobby:


(Next to me and Liesa, Jim looks like the tallest man IN THE WORLD, am I right?)

After chatting with everyone for about an hour or so, I went into The Studio to film my author video which will be posted on the Simon & Schuster website at some point.  I answered questions about the book and myself.   I've heard that these guys edit these to can make anyone look like a pro, so it should turn out pretty well, I think.  Ha!

After that, there was more chatting and a few of the employees--and my editor--had me sign books for them.  Which still feels weird.  I don't have a problem with just signing my name in books, but writing notes in them feels wrong.  My handwriting is awful and I feel like I'm ruining the books!

Anyway, it was a lovely visit and I'm looking forward to going back again someday. Thank you to Jim for accompanying me and to everyone at S&S for being so welcoming!

Blog: More pictures of the BoW event.

I'm home from NYC and trying to catch up on things.  I uploaded some pictures of my trip on Facebook, so if we're friends, you can check out the lot there.

Also, I am in desperate need of pics from the BoW event on 10/10/10.  It doesn't have to be the whole group, but if anyone has any to share that show faces and such, that will be very helpful.  Please let me know!  It would appear that we were all too busy, like, hanging out and chatting to pose for pictures.  What is WRONG with us???

Here's the whole panel again from another angle:


Left to right:  Phoebe Kitanidis, Jess Leader, Amy Brecount White, Amber Benson, Emily Horner, Alex Bracken, Laura Toffler-Corrie, Josh Berk, Shaun Hutchinson, and Mindi Scott.

My editor, Liesa Abrams, me, and Margie Gelbwasser:


Jess Leader, Robert Brydon, Jim McCarthy, and me:



This next picture contains portions of lots of author heads.  Mine is the head on the very far end. I'm signing books for my crit partner Kim and book blogger, Mitali Dave.


Here are my friends Michelle, Amy, Anna Jarzab, author of ALL UNQUIET THINGS, and me at the after-party:

Blog: The Books of Wonder 10/10/10 event

You know how sometimes you plan things and stress out over them and then the day comes and it's all right, but filled with annoyances and you have good memories but they are a tiny bit tainted?

Luckily, I can say that the Books of Wonder signing event that I did along with ten awesome authors yesterday was NOTHING like that!  To me, it was 100% perfect.  And I can be a cynical person at times, so that's saying a lot!

The day started for me in New Jersey.  Dwayne and I flew into Newark late Friday night and stayed with my editor and her husband.  We all headed to the bookstore and arrived about an hour early, which was nice because then I wasn't stressing about being late and was able to just hang out and meet people as they arrived.

The panel itself went really smoothly.  I heard a few people say they were kind of dreading sitting through the whole thing, but that we were all so engaging and our books were so different that the time just flew by.  So that was nice to hear! 

I was hoping to be second on the panel--I didn't want to go first, but I also wanted to get it over with--but I ended up being last.  It wasn't so bad though.  I alternated between calm and panicked while I waited my turn and had to try to remember proper breathing techniques, but when it was time, I was only moderately nervous.  My hand holding the microphone was shaking.  I'm sure Shaun could tell since he was right next to me, but the people in the front row said they couldn't tell at all.

It was fun getting to meet several folks from Simon & Schuster and also editors and agents for the other authors.  A few book bloggers were there as well, including Kelsey, Mitali, and Danielle.  (Sorry, no links.  I'm using my husband's laptops, which is like typing with my fingertips cut off.)  I was also happy to see my friends Amy, Kim, and Michelle.  Yay!

When the presentations and Q&A were over, we signed books, mingled, and then many of us made our way a few blocks up to a billiard bar where we chatted and hung out for another couple of hours.  So much fun!

Here are some pictures from the event.  This is an endcap of all eleven of our books:





Left to right:  Phoebe Kitanidis, Jess Leader, Amy Brecount White, Amber Benson, Emily Horner, Alex Bracken, Laura Toffler-Corrie, Josh Berk, Shaun Hutchinson, and Mindi Scott.

Argh!  So, I do have a few more pictures that I want to share, but the internet in our hotel is slooooow speed and it just isn't working out right now.  Maybe tomorrow I'll do another picture post.  If not, after I get home!

Thank you so much to Books of Wonder for hosting and to the staff for being SO NICE, the other authors for being so awesome, and everyone who came out ot see us.  I couldn't have asked for a better first author event!  ♥
 

Blog: Just a few authorish updates

Here are a few more links of where Freefall and I have been online yesterday and today just in case you're like my mom and husband and are keeping up on these things.  ;-)
Rock This! Thursday Interview and Contest at Just Your Typical Book BlogFreefall deleted scene and contest at The Library Lurker (includes what used to be the first-ever scene in the novel.)Video:  Fragment Friday by Hobbitsies Reviews where she reads aloud a scene from Freefall!Boys, Boys... and More Boys at A Good Addiction where Seth from Freefall gets a mention as one of Kari's favorite boys in YA!Book Review by Tara at HobbitsiesBook Review by Taylor at The Library Lurker
Also!  I know I've mentioned it a few times, but I just wanted to throw out one more reminder for NYC-area peeps.  On October 10, 2010, I'll be at Books of Wonder for an awesome author event!  This will be my first ever book signing, so it's very exciting for me!  Also, I'm so looking forward to getting to meet several of the other Tenners!

Here's the line-up:

JOSH BERK - The Dark Days Of Hamburger Halpin
ALEXANDRA BRACKEN - Brightly Woven
MARGIE GELBWASSER - Inconvenient
EMILY HORNER - A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend
SHAUN DAVID HUTCHINSON - The Deathday Letter
PHOEBE KITANIDIS - Whisper
JESSICA LEADER - Nice And Mean
MINDI SCOTT - Freefall
LAURA TOFFLER-CORRIE - The Life And Opinions Of Amy Finawitz
AMY BRECOUNT WHITE - Forget-Her-Nots
AMBER BENSON - Among The Ghosts

Yes, that is actress Amber Benson who played Tara on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  And, yes, quite a few of us Tenners are Buffy fans and totally geeking out about this!

We're thinking that we'll be able to move down the street for an after-party of sorts when it's over so that we can all hang out together and with anyone who shows up.  If you're in the area, I hope you can make it.  Please pass the word along because we'd all love to see everyone there!

Blog: A visit to Build-A-Bear Workshop!

The other day, my friend msktonic   took me out on a mysterious field trip to Bellevue Square to celebrate the birthdays of Freefall and me. 

When we arrived, she let me know that this trip was inspired by my love of Anakin Skywalker.  Then she took me to Build-A-Bear Workshop where they have adorable Star Wars themed clothes to outfit the bears and other animals!

We each put together bears.  I got Anakin, of course, and she got a blue bear with the Han Solo outfit.  It was a fun little process.  The animals aren't stuffed when you select them.  You get to choose which one you want and then the employee takes you over to a machine where the stuffing happens.  You make a wish on a little satin heart that goes inside, choose the clothes, fluff the fur, and have a birth certificate printed up in the store.  We also got sound boxes put inside our bears' hands so that when you squeeze, the Star Wars theme music plays.



Awww, isn't my Anakin bear cuuuuute?  I thought this was a really unique gift idea and a fun activity for nerd-girl grownups like us! 

Thank you again, msktonic , for the lovely outing!

Blog: Freefall Release Day Recap

Yesterday was the big day, of course.  Dwayne called seven bookstores in advance and then drove me to them so I could sign all the stock on hand.  There were four Seattle area Barnes & Noble locations (Alderwood, Downtown Seattle, Northgate, and University Village), which each had four copies.  There were three Borders locations (Lynnwood, Everett, and Downtown Seattle), which each had between one and three copies.

Here is me at the Lynnwood Barnes & Noble, signing copies of Freefall:


We didn't take pictures at the other locations because, you know, it was all the same thing again.  Overall, the experience was surreal, but certainly not filled with excitement.  Most often, we were in and out in about five minutes.  The employees at every location were very nice to me, but they were also very busy doing their jobs. 

For future books, I probably will opt to wait a week or more to do something like this so that I can be sure the books won't have to be tracked down.  But since this was my first book, I really wanted to make an event of release day, so I did.  And it was a lovely, lovely day!

Oh, and here's proof that my Magic 8-Ball is a truth-teller:

 

Yes, that is a veggie hot dog on a stick!


Oh, and once again, I was all over your internet today.  Here are the links:

Features:
 Vlog, Tour of "Kenburn", the fictional town where Freefall takes place. (Video is posted at the end of Kari's review.)Spotlight Wednesday at The ContempsGuest post about why I write what I write at Sparrow Review
Interviews:
Cynsations:  New Voice: interviewer:  NYT best-selling author, Cynthia Leitich SmithThe 9 Spot:  interviewer: Saundra Mitchell, author of SHADOWED SUMMERTennerview at the Elevensies -  interviewer: 2011 debut author, Helen LandalfAuthor Interview: Interviewer:  Alisia Leavitt, aspiring YA fiction writerBlog Tour Interview: Intervierwer: Jessica at Shut Up! I'm Reading
New book reviews of Freefall:Kari at A Good AddictionChallenging the Bookworm
New contests where you can win Freefall:
Fantastic Book ReviewCover Remake Contest at Truth Be ToldAlisia Leavitt's Blog

Blog: It's Rex Manning Day!

And okay, I lied.  Today is actually not Rex Manning Day.  It is a big deal for me, though.  For today is Freefall's official "On Sale Day!" 

A book  that I wrote is now resting on many, many bookstore shelves (and in boxes in bookstore back rooms, no doubt) all across the United States.  It's kind of, you know, the biggest accomplishment of my life.

This is a picture of me taken on Friday, October 1st, seeing Freefall at a bookstore for the very first time:



I look like I cried off all my makeup, but really, I wasn't even wearing makeup to start with.  If I had been, it totally would have been the situation, though.  Promise.

In a few hours, my escort (aka my husband) will travel with me to complete a Signing the Book Stock "tour" around Seattle.  I still need to select a pen for this purpose!  And decide what to wear!  You would think I'd be ready, wouldn't you?  I've had 17 months to prepare!  (Or 33 years plus 2 days, if you truly want to get technical.)
 Oh, and here's a huge pile of links in case you want to see where I've been online lately!  I really should have been keeping up and posting these daily.  Sorry!  I hope you'll want to check some of them out anyway!

Interviews:
The Magic 8... at my own blog (LOLz)Mindi Scott Interview with Allie Larkin, author of STAYTeen Author Tuesday with Denise Jaden, author of LOSING FAITHSensational 7 Q&A at FANTASTIC BOOK REVIEWDebut Author Interview with Cinette at Musings of a Writer in ProgressMindi Scott Interview with Steven at Steven's CybraryFeatures:Contest!  Win a signed copy of Freefall at The Hiding SpotSelf-Deprecating Sunday (aka an unattractive photo of me at age 13!) at Sparks and ButterfliesMonday Madness  at FANTASTIC BOOK REVIEWCritique of the Freefall book trailer by YA Book ShelfHot Topic Tuesday:  Binge Drinking at the ContempsTrailer Tuesday at Sarah's Random MusingsReviews of Freefall:Book Review by Amber at Just Your Typical Book BlogBook Review by Katie at Mundie MomsBook Review by Kelsey at The Book Scout

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Mindi Scott (Yes, I interviewed myself!)

If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, you might have noticed this feature I do called "The Magic 8," which is eight questions for authors.  I originally wrote them for John C. Ford when his book came out in the summer of aught-nine after considering which questions I would like to be asked one day. 

Now that That Book I Wrote That One Time is coming out TOMORROW, I decided to finally answer these questions myself. So here I go:


1. At age eight, what did you want to be when you grew up? And at age eighteen? And while you’re at it, what about at age twenty-eight?

Eight: a teacher
Eighteen: a dental hygienist
Twenty-eight: an author


2. Which Breakfast-Club-style label would have best fit your teenage self?

The Extroverted Introvert.


3. What are some of your superstitions and/or phobias?

I am afraid of scary movies. And by scary, I mean just about anything resembling horror or suspense in any fashion.  They give me nightmares and sometimes make me afraid of the dark for years.  Also, seeing tempered glass all broken but still held together in a pane makes me cry (worst-case scenario) or feel itchy on the head(best-case scenario).


4. Without giving away too much from your book, which character or scene are you the most pleased about having created, and why?

Hands down, Seth.  In him, I feel like I created a character who comes a long way in the course of the book.  The guy on page 1 would never have done what the guy on page 295 did.  (And, yes, The Thing that Happens on Page 295 is my favorite moment in the book.  But DON'T look up page 295 unless you've already read the book.  If you read the scene out of context, it won't mean anything to you and then you'll have spoiled yourself and then we'll both be sad!) 


5. Was there any certain music that inspired you while you were writing this book, or is there a song that could serve as your protagonist’s theme song?

Was there ever!  Seth's theme song is "It's Been Awhile" by Staind.  I know, I know! But it really, really fits when he's depressed and stuff.


6. What’s up next for you as a writer?

I'm working on more contemporary YA!  And this is an exclusive!  Right here!  My three in-progress manuscripts deal with 1) teen marriage, 2) sexual abuse and 3) suburban gangs.  [/Bringing the Awkward. Like I do]


7. And, now, the most important question of all: Beatles or Elvis? Please support your answer. ;-)

So here's the thing.  I was big into the Beatles when I was in my early-20s.  Then I decided I was over them.  Then I got waaaaay into Elvis.  Then I watched the movie ACROSS THE UNIVERSE and started to love the Beatles again.  And . . . I kind of feel like I prefer the Beatles to Elvis.  So Beatles!  That's my answer.   Until I change my mind again.


8. Okay, your turn. Do you have a question you’d like me to ask my Magic 8-Ball on your behalf? (I’m telling you, this thing is scarily accurate! Well, except for when it’s lying.)

You don't have to tell ME how scary-accurate it is!  My question is:  Will I eat a veggie corn dog from Hot Dog on a Stick tomorrow?



Hooray!!!

Blog: Charity auction for the Family Violence Prevention Fund

[image error] To honor National Domestic Violence Awareness month, author Swati Avasthi has combined a blog tour for her debut novel, Split, with a charity auction. Over 40 authors, agents and editors have donated manuscript critiques, personalized books, and more to an online auction that anyone –reader, writer, booklover -- can bid on and buy.  All proceeds go to the Family Violence Prevention Fund. In addition to the auction, Avasthi is donating $1/comment on her 26-stop, month-long blog tour, coordinated by Kari Olson at Teen Book Scene. If we reach the goal and cap of $250, Swati will double the donation to the Family Violence Prevention Fund.  The CDC estimates that one in four women will experience intimate partner abuse during her life and UC Davis estimates that a child who grew up witnessing abuse is four times as likely to perpetrate abuse, 25 times more likely to commit rape and 6 times more likely to commit suicide. Family Violence Prevention Fund has some great initiatives, including Coaching Boys Into Men and Start Strong, that are about breaking the intergenerational cycle and preventing abuse.  So, follow the tour, get stuff you want, and make a difference.

***********
 If you click on the button, you'll be taken straight to the auction page.  There is a signed and personalized copy of FREEFALL on the list as well as a bunch of great items for reader and writer types!

Blog: 30 days of blogging... just under the wire.

I almost forgot to blog today!  Which would have meant that I would have failed in my attempt to blog every day in September!

But, phew.  I remembered and now here I am.

With nothing to say.

La la la.

I've tried really hard this month to write about things that aren't FREEFALL.  I know that I slipped up a few times, but those were really important, right?  (Ha!) 

I have to admit that this has been a strange, strange, strange time in my life.  A wonderful time, but still very strange.  For the past 17 months, I've been waiting for my book to come out.  I have thought about it every day of my life for 17 months straight.  (And also?  I thought about it every day for 18 months straight back in aught-six and aught-seven when I was writing and revising it.)  I've never experienced anything like it.  I mean, sure, I've had to wait for things to happen.  Summer vacation, graduation, stuff like that.  But there's never been anything like this for me.   It's hard to focus on other things.  I'm ready for the book to be out there--which is good because there is no turning back!   I can't really seem to think beyond one day at a time.

I deliberately set up this week as kind of a do-nothing week.  I'm pretty much done with all my interviews and guest blogs.  I've been off work since Tuesday this week.  I'll be working on Monday, the day before the book officially comes out, but that's mostly because I thought I'd be really distracted if I had to stay home alone that day.  So from yesterday though Sunday, I'm just chilling. I'm doing laundry, cooking, reading, and trying to NOT STRESS OUT.

So, yeah, that's everything I'm up to right now.  What about you?  :-)

******
Oh, and in case you're wondering where I've been online today, here are the links:

Blog tour:  An interview by Sarah at the Hiding Spot

FREEFALL Story Secrets with Holly Cupala, author of TELL ME A SECRET   (Leave a comment there before Monday for a chance to win a copy of FREEFALL.)