Mindi Scott's Blog, page 9
November 8, 2010
Blog: Holly Cupala & Conrad Wesselhoeft book event photos!
I've been remiss in updating my entries requiring photos. I couldn't find my camera charger after I got back from NYC. Turns out, it was in my suitcase all along! Excuses, excuses, I know.
A couple of weeks ago, I went out to see Holly Cupala and Conrad Wesselhoeft give a presentation together at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park. Part of what they talked about in time they were allotted was what inspired them to write these stories and also some similarities between their books. For example, Holly's book, TELL ME A SECRET, is about a girl who is an artist (painting and drawing) whose sibling (sister) passed away while Conrad's books, ADIOS, NIRVANA, is about a boy who is an artist (guitarist and poet) who sibling (twin brother) passed away. Both stories are set in Seattle, Washington. Very interesting!
Dwayne tells me that there is a (positive) Goodreads review in which a reader indicates that FREEFALL reminds her of a combination of these two books. Which, I suppose makes sense since it is set (in a fictional town) near Seattle, and my character is a bassist whose best friend passed away.
After the presentation, I had them each sign a copy of their books for me and I took a cookie! I also posed for a picture with them, but my photographer (Dwayne) didn't let on that it was an extremely unflattering pose for me. And, yes, I am exactly the right amount of vain to not show it on the internet. You'll have to trust me that I was actually there. Or you can ask these authors to confirm it! ;-)
Here is a lovely picture of the two of them (along with Random Bookstore Bystander):
It was fun to see Holly again and great to meet Conrad. I've heard awesome things about these books and am very much looking forward to reading them!
A couple of weeks ago, I went out to see Holly Cupala and Conrad Wesselhoeft give a presentation together at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park. Part of what they talked about in time they were allotted was what inspired them to write these stories and also some similarities between their books. For example, Holly's book, TELL ME A SECRET, is about a girl who is an artist (painting and drawing) whose sibling (sister) passed away while Conrad's books, ADIOS, NIRVANA, is about a boy who is an artist (guitarist and poet) who sibling (twin brother) passed away. Both stories are set in Seattle, Washington. Very interesting!
Dwayne tells me that there is a (positive) Goodreads review in which a reader indicates that FREEFALL reminds her of a combination of these two books. Which, I suppose makes sense since it is set (in a fictional town) near Seattle, and my character is a bassist whose best friend passed away.
After the presentation, I had them each sign a copy of their books for me and I took a cookie! I also posed for a picture with them, but my photographer (Dwayne) didn't let on that it was an extremely unflattering pose for me. And, yes, I am exactly the right amount of vain to not show it on the internet. You'll have to trust me that I was actually there. Or you can ask these authors to confirm it! ;-)
Here is a lovely picture of the two of them (along with Random Bookstore Bystander):
It was fun to see Holly again and great to meet Conrad. I've heard awesome things about these books and am very much looking forward to reading them!
November 6, 2010
Blog: The first time I fell in love.
When I was in second grade, a boy named Steven was in love with me and with a girl named Trisha. He wanted both of us to be his girlfriends--which would have consisted of chasing each other at recess more than we chased anyone else--but I wasn't interested. I liked Steven, but I didn't love him. One day, my teacher asked me to stay in for part of recess to help a kid named Willy with some schoolwork that he didn't understand. I don't remember which subject it was; it could have been anything, though. Back in second grade, I was pretty decent at most subjects, even math.
The teacher presented it in a such a way that I didn't want to say no. She told me that I was so good at it and could I show Willy how to do it, too? I was flattered enough not to mind missing out on chasing and being chased on the playground.
I moved my chair next to Willy's desk and explained how to do whatever it was. I read some stuff aloud, he asked questions, and then I explained further. After a few minutes, he was getting it. I was helping him figure it out! Then he started doing the work on his own while I sat quietly and watched.
With all the silence and Willy and me sitting so close, completely alone in the classroom, I started experiencing weird feelings. My head got all tingly and my heart was beating fast and I became really, really warm.
Willy had pale skin, freckles, and big teeth. His hair looked like maybe some gum had gotten stuck in it while he was sleeping, and someone had had to use scissors to cut it out.
Right then, as of that moment, I was in love with him.
I loved Willy.
When he finished his work and we went outside for the last few minutes of recess, I felt sort of floaty. I was going to chase him. Because I loved him.
I skipped over to my group of girl friends. He raced over to his group of boy friends. The boys all huddled together to talk about something. They were planning their next girl-chasing strategies, I figured. But then Steven yelled, "Hey, everyone! Willy loves Mindi!"
All the girls stared, wide eyed and open mouthed. Because this was Willy that Steven was taking about! He had never loved anybody and they hadn't loved him, either.
I looked at Willy. He was watching me with this look of pride and excitement. There wasn't even a trace of embarrassment on his face.
Those feelings. The ones I'd been having. Willy had them, too. We'd had the same feelings at the same time. Both of us.
My chest got tight and I wanted to cry. Loving him had been one of the tingliest feelings I'd ever had, but being loved by him was just too much. I couldn't handle any of this anymore.
The chasing began. I ran fast and I ran far. I didn't let the boys catch me on purpose like I usually did. I didn't chase Willy.
After that day, I couldn't bring myself to chase him ever again.
November 4, 2010
Vlog: What's in the Box (Part 2)
As promised, here is the second part to my What's in the Box video from yesterday!
Fun facts, do I have them today? Hmmm. Well, I have now seen yesterday's vlog and today's and I didn't die of humiliation, so that's good news!
Fun facts, do I have them today? Hmmm. Well, I have now seen yesterday's vlog and today's and I didn't die of humiliation, so that's good news!
November 3, 2010
Vlog: What's in the Box? (Part 1)
Look! Another Vlog! With all the book release and events excitement, I keep forgetting to post these. But here you go!
Fun facts about this video:
1. The theme is "What's in the Box?" In it, I pull various mementos from boxes and discuss their significance.
2. I haven't watched this vlog. Back when I was posting these every other week during the summer, I was becoming desensitized to that whole seeing-and-hearing-myself-on-video thing. As it turns out, just a few weeks of not doing it can make that anxiety come back with a vengeance. And, in fact, the reason I didn't post this last week isn't because I kept "forgetting" like I stated above. It was actually because I couldn't bring myself to watch it.
3. However! Even though I haven't watched it, I do remember it being the easiest of all the vlogs for me to complete. Almost every scene was done in just one take. As I recall, I was speaking more naturally and in a less rehearsed way. Whether this comes across as better than the others, I don't have any idea.
4. As it turned out, I had a lot to say about things in boxes. There is a What's in the Box (Part 2) video coming out tomorrow!
5. One of the boxes that I discuss includes all of my items which are relevant to Freefall. I think it's in Part 1 (since Part 1 is longer), but don't hold me to it, okay?
Fun facts about this video:
1. The theme is "What's in the Box?" In it, I pull various mementos from boxes and discuss their significance.
2. I haven't watched this vlog. Back when I was posting these every other week during the summer, I was becoming desensitized to that whole seeing-and-hearing-myself-on-video thing. As it turns out, just a few weeks of not doing it can make that anxiety come back with a vengeance. And, in fact, the reason I didn't post this last week isn't because I kept "forgetting" like I stated above. It was actually because I couldn't bring myself to watch it.
3. However! Even though I haven't watched it, I do remember it being the easiest of all the vlogs for me to complete. Almost every scene was done in just one take. As I recall, I was speaking more naturally and in a less rehearsed way. Whether this comes across as better than the others, I don't have any idea.
4. As it turned out, I had a lot to say about things in boxes. There is a What's in the Box (Part 2) video coming out tomorrow!
5. One of the boxes that I discuss includes all of my items which are relevant to Freefall. I think it's in Part 1 (since Part 1 is longer), but don't hold me to it, okay?
October 31, 2010
Blog: Freefall by Mindi Scott is a best seller. . .
. . . at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park. Look! The Seattle Times even says so!
My screen capture doesn't show you the rest of the paperback list, but it goes like this: 1. Freefall, Mindi Scott; 2. War Dances, Sherman Alexie; 3. Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese; 4. The Girl Who Played with Fire, Stieg Larsson; 5. First Light, Rebecca Stead
This little article was very fun for me to see, and I just want to say thank you to everyone who made this happen by coming to my launch party and buying copies of Freefall. And thank you to those of you who bought it elsewhere, too. And thank you to everyone who has mentioned it in Twitter and FaceBook statuses and/or taken the time to post your thoughts on Amazon. It really means a lot. ♥
My screen capture doesn't show you the rest of the paperback list, but it goes like this: 1. Freefall, Mindi Scott; 2. War Dances, Sherman Alexie; 3. Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese; 4. The Girl Who Played with Fire, Stieg Larsson; 5. First Light, Rebecca Stead
This little article was very fun for me to see, and I just want to say thank you to everyone who made this happen by coming to my launch party and buying copies of Freefall. And thank you to those of you who bought it elsewhere, too. And thank you to everyone who has mentioned it in Twitter and FaceBook statuses and/or taken the time to post your thoughts on Amazon. It really means a lot. ♥
October 29, 2010
Blog: List Friday: Times when I've cried about FREEFALL
I'm going to try a new thing for the Fridays when I remember to blog. Instead of attempting "Friday 5" or "Friday 4" or Friday with any other number behind it, I will instead attempt "List Friday" which means I can make a list of any amount of items. Sometimes my list will have three things on it! Sometimes--like today--my list will have six! It's a whole new world, I'm telling you!
Times When I've Cried About FREEFALL
1. I received a rejection. From an agent. On a full manuscript. When I'd had really high hopes. Now, this wasn't an uncommon thing for me--getting agent rejections. (In fact, I've received over 150 of them in my life.) But full-on crying over a rejection happened to me only this one time and it really, really sucked.
2. Mere days after I got my book deal and joined the Tenners, Trish Doller posted letting me know that some bloggers had told her that they were excited about my book. I thought to myself, Oh, isn't that so sweet? And then the reality hit me. They were excited to read my book! Not only that, but they might very well one day actually read my book! It was overwhelming and wonderful all at the same time.
3. A few weeks before ARCs were printed, my editor let me know that the woman who had copyedited Freefall sent an email saying that she loved the book. Then my editor wrote me again pasting the exact words that had been said about it. This was the first time that feedback from someone other than my agent, editor, or a critique partners had been passed on to me, and it was my first taste of what People Out There might say. It was a great start.
4. This past summer, Dwayne and I were eating dinner at Panera when my phone indicated that I had a new email. I tried to resist looking, but I just couldn't stop myself. The email was a Google Alert (hooray for Google Alerts!), letting me know that a review was up at Goodreads by Amber at Just Your Typical Book Blog. This was only the second review ever posted for my book. It included words like "best" and "favorite" and I burst into tears right then and there. I had to get the rest of my dinner to go because I couldn't concentrate on the food anymore.
/
5. A few days before my book's release date, I received a Google Alert (damn you, Google Alerts!) letting me know that someone had posted about my book, the gist of which was that my book didn't matter and was a waste of time. I spent the whole day watching movies on the couch, eating ice cream and popcorn, and worrying that the whole world was going to feel this way. (Never mind the twenty or so reviews out there that already said the opposite.) It was my biggest fear, really. Sure, I don't want people to hate my book, either, but indifference stabs in a completely different way. Then that night, I took a break from the movies at my house to see a movie at the $3 theater by my house. (What a day, what a day!) Afterward, Dwayne drove me to Barnes & Noble where Freefall was already on the shelves. I then petted my books and cried for other reasons.
6. A few weeks after my book's release, I got an email from the mother of a teenage boy. She said he'd chosen Freefall for himself and she wanted to get a peek at what he was reading. She ended up staying up until 2am to finish it. She feels like this book has given her an opening to talk about some difficult things with him, and she thanked me for writing it. Which is just . . . wow. I mean, WOW!
Times When I've Cried About FREEFALL
1. I received a rejection. From an agent. On a full manuscript. When I'd had really high hopes. Now, this wasn't an uncommon thing for me--getting agent rejections. (In fact, I've received over 150 of them in my life.) But full-on crying over a rejection happened to me only this one time and it really, really sucked.
2. Mere days after I got my book deal and joined the Tenners, Trish Doller posted letting me know that some bloggers had told her that they were excited about my book. I thought to myself, Oh, isn't that so sweet? And then the reality hit me. They were excited to read my book! Not only that, but they might very well one day actually read my book! It was overwhelming and wonderful all at the same time.
3. A few weeks before ARCs were printed, my editor let me know that the woman who had copyedited Freefall sent an email saying that she loved the book. Then my editor wrote me again pasting the exact words that had been said about it. This was the first time that feedback from someone other than my agent, editor, or a critique partners had been passed on to me, and it was my first taste of what People Out There might say. It was a great start.
4. This past summer, Dwayne and I were eating dinner at Panera when my phone indicated that I had a new email. I tried to resist looking, but I just couldn't stop myself. The email was a Google Alert (hooray for Google Alerts!), letting me know that a review was up at Goodreads by Amber at Just Your Typical Book Blog. This was only the second review ever posted for my book. It included words like "best" and "favorite" and I burst into tears right then and there. I had to get the rest of my dinner to go because I couldn't concentrate on the food anymore.
/
5. A few days before my book's release date, I received a Google Alert (damn you, Google Alerts!) letting me know that someone had posted about my book, the gist of which was that my book didn't matter and was a waste of time. I spent the whole day watching movies on the couch, eating ice cream and popcorn, and worrying that the whole world was going to feel this way. (Never mind the twenty or so reviews out there that already said the opposite.) It was my biggest fear, really. Sure, I don't want people to hate my book, either, but indifference stabs in a completely different way. Then that night, I took a break from the movies at my house to see a movie at the $3 theater by my house. (What a day, what a day!) Afterward, Dwayne drove me to Barnes & Noble where Freefall was already on the shelves. I then petted my books and cried for other reasons.
6. A few weeks after my book's release, I got an email from the mother of a teenage boy. She said he'd chosen Freefall for himself and she wanted to get a peek at what he was reading. She ended up staying up until 2am to finish it. She feels like this book has given her an opening to talk about some difficult things with him, and she thanked me for writing it. Which is just . . . wow. I mean, WOW!
October 28, 2010
Blog: My new/old life.
I'm still recovering from the past few weeks. These events have been mostly very good and my use of the word "recovering" sounds mostly bad, but I don't mean it like that. I'm really just trying to get caught up on stuff, get a new routine going, and change some of my old habits moving forward.
This is my new life--starting today, actually. My post-book-release life. My gotta-get-back-to-my-manuscript-or-I'm-going-to-explode life. I'm feeling my way around it. Life and the manuscript.
Seth McCoy, That Kid in That Book I Wrote That One Time, has a tendency to distract me in every possible way at every opportunity. Until I opened my files today for my current manuscript, I couldn't even remember my new character's voice. I'm happy to report that she does have one and there are some good scenes here. Now I just need MORE of them. More, more, more.
On a different note, here's an email exchange from today:
Matt: I bought a couple books the other day. Are you going to sign them this weekend?
Me: I think I am. But only if they're books that I wrote. ;-)
Matt: Those are the only kind of books that I buy!
Me: Awesome!
(Of course, he's totally lying because he buys lots of books not written by me!)
This is my new life--starting today, actually. My post-book-release life. My gotta-get-back-to-my-manuscript-or-I'm-going-to-explode life. I'm feeling my way around it. Life and the manuscript.
Seth McCoy, That Kid in That Book I Wrote That One Time, has a tendency to distract me in every possible way at every opportunity. Until I opened my files today for my current manuscript, I couldn't even remember my new character's voice. I'm happy to report that she does have one and there are some good scenes here. Now I just need MORE of them. More, more, more.
On a different note, here's an email exchange from today:
Matt: I bought a couple books the other day. Are you going to sign them this weekend?
Me: I think I am. But only if they're books that I wrote. ;-)
Matt: Those are the only kind of books that I buy!
Me: Awesome!
(Of course, he's totally lying because he buys lots of books not written by me!)
October 21, 2010
Blog: Freefall launch party recap and photos
The official Freefall launch party happened this past Sunday at Third Place Books. The turnout was great; over 90 people in attendance, I heard.
I gave a little talk about my Path to Publication, read an excerpt, answered questions from the audience, and then signed every copy of Freefall that was in the store. (The bookstore totally sold out, which is cool, but I was disappointed, too, because I'd wanted everyone to be able to go home with my book and that definitely didn't happen.)
There's weren't too many people there who didn't already know me, but there were a lot who didn't know the story of how this book came to be, so I did feel like it was something important to share.
This was a different experience from my recent Books of Wonder event in NYC. There, I was one of eleven authors. There, I knew only about 10 people in the audience. There, I spoke "like I'd been doing panels forever." (This is a near-quote of someone who attended. For reals!)
The launch party was all about me, of course, and I was standing in front of a crowd of relatives (lots of relatives! Some of whom had come to the event together in a chartered bus!), friends from as far back as high school, coworkers and former coworkers, critique partners, other authors, friends from Dwayne's job and band, people I've met online, etc. I wouldn't say that I was exactly more nervous about it so much as emotional, you know?
Anyway, it was a lot of fun, but also a bit of a blur for me. I didn't get a chance to talk with everyone who was there, but I was told that people had a good time, so that was very nice to hear!
And now for some pics. Here's a couple of different views of the crowd. And, actually, this was before things really got started. Later, there were lots of people standing at the back and off to the side as well.
Here's me, doing the stuff:
And my cousin Amanda, wearing the best shirt ever:
A bunch of Pacific Northwest YA authors came to hang out and show support:
Left to right: Holly Cupala (TELL ME A SECRET), Denise Jaden (LOSING FAITH), me, Kimberly Derting (THE BODY FINDER), Karen Kincy (OTHER), and Mandy Hubbard (PRADA AND PREJUDICE and YOU WISH).
Here's a link to more pictures if you want to check them out.
Thank you to everyone who came and made my launch party a success! I know there were some who even traveled from as far as Oregon, Eastern Washington, and British Columbia, and I very much appreciate you making the trip for my big night. You guys are the best and I love you! ♥
Also, if you weren't able to purchase a signed copy at the event, I know that the bookstore has just received more and will call me soon to come down and sign them. They'll mail the signed books to you, if you'd like. So if you didn't already request that service and would like to, here's the website where their phone and email address is available.
Alternately, of course, if you want to buy your copies elsewhere, we can hopefully get together soon so I can sign them for you. I'll be signing at Uppercase Books in Snohomish, Washington on October 30th with Chelsea Campbell, Kimberly Derting, Denise Jaden, and Karen Kincy, so there will be an opportunity there, too.
Thanks again!
♥♥♥
I gave a little talk about my Path to Publication, read an excerpt, answered questions from the audience, and then signed every copy of Freefall that was in the store. (The bookstore totally sold out, which is cool, but I was disappointed, too, because I'd wanted everyone to be able to go home with my book and that definitely didn't happen.)
There's weren't too many people there who didn't already know me, but there were a lot who didn't know the story of how this book came to be, so I did feel like it was something important to share.
This was a different experience from my recent Books of Wonder event in NYC. There, I was one of eleven authors. There, I knew only about 10 people in the audience. There, I spoke "like I'd been doing panels forever." (This is a near-quote of someone who attended. For reals!)
The launch party was all about me, of course, and I was standing in front of a crowd of relatives (lots of relatives! Some of whom had come to the event together in a chartered bus!), friends from as far back as high school, coworkers and former coworkers, critique partners, other authors, friends from Dwayne's job and band, people I've met online, etc. I wouldn't say that I was exactly more nervous about it so much as emotional, you know?
Anyway, it was a lot of fun, but also a bit of a blur for me. I didn't get a chance to talk with everyone who was there, but I was told that people had a good time, so that was very nice to hear!
And now for some pics. Here's a couple of different views of the crowd. And, actually, this was before things really got started. Later, there were lots of people standing at the back and off to the side as well.
Here's me, doing the stuff:
And my cousin Amanda, wearing the best shirt ever:
A bunch of Pacific Northwest YA authors came to hang out and show support:
Left to right: Holly Cupala (TELL ME A SECRET), Denise Jaden (LOSING FAITH), me, Kimberly Derting (THE BODY FINDER), Karen Kincy (OTHER), and Mandy Hubbard (PRADA AND PREJUDICE and YOU WISH).
Here's a link to more pictures if you want to check them out.
Thank you to everyone who came and made my launch party a success! I know there were some who even traveled from as far as Oregon, Eastern Washington, and British Columbia, and I very much appreciate you making the trip for my big night. You guys are the best and I love you! ♥
Also, if you weren't able to purchase a signed copy at the event, I know that the bookstore has just received more and will call me soon to come down and sign them. They'll mail the signed books to you, if you'd like. So if you didn't already request that service and would like to, here's the website where their phone and email address is available.
Alternately, of course, if you want to buy your copies elsewhere, we can hopefully get together soon so I can sign them for you. I'll be signing at Uppercase Books in Snohomish, Washington on October 30th with Chelsea Campbell, Kimberly Derting, Denise Jaden, and Karen Kincy, so there will be an opportunity there, too.
Thanks again!
♥♥♥October 20, 2010
Vlog: Tour of "Kenburn" (in case you missed it).
During the Freefall blog tour a couple of weeks ago, this vlog was posted. I intended to embed it here the next day as well, but things kind of got away from me. I thought I'd go ahead and show it to you now, in case you missed it and didn't want to continue missing it.
Fun facts about this video:
1. This is a mini-tour of the fictional town, Kenburn, where Freefall takes place.
2. The particular locations shown here that make up some of "Kenburn" are located in Auburn/Pacific, Kenmore, Edmonds, and Olympia (all in Western Washington State) in real life.
3. This was the first vlog that Intern Amanda and I shot together. It was also only our second time ever having met. (The first being the interview for the intern position.) You can tell that I'm very self-conscious about blabbing to her about my book at these locations by the way that I don't even look at the camera for most of the filming. We came a long way!
Fun facts about this video:
1. This is a mini-tour of the fictional town, Kenburn, where Freefall takes place.
2. The particular locations shown here that make up some of "Kenburn" are located in Auburn/Pacific, Kenmore, Edmonds, and Olympia (all in Western Washington State) in real life.
3. This was the first vlog that Intern Amanda and I shot together. It was also only our second time ever having met. (The first being the interview for the intern position.) You can tell that I'm very self-conscious about blabbing to her about my book at these locations by the way that I don't even look at the camera for most of the filming. We came a long way!
October 19, 2010
Blog: In which I very briefly discuss my characters.
While making lunch today, I said to Dwayne, "It's been pretty interesting reading reviews of Freefall and seeing how many readers seem to like Kendall. She's been named as several people's favorite character, or at least second-favorite after Seth. I didn't see that coming. I thought that Rosetta and Kendall might tie for second-favorite or something, but it seems like Rosetta isn't really in the running."
A few hours later, I came across a new review on Goodreads that said this: This was a great book! Aside from the annoying character named Kendall, there was a very good plot line and interesting characters. . . I loved Rosetta, she was definitely my favorite character.
I have to admit, I literally LOLed when I read that.
Go Team Rosetta?
(Launch party recap and photos to come. Tomorrow. Or the day after. But no later than that... I hope!)
A few hours later, I came across a new review on Goodreads that said this: This was a great book! Aside from the annoying character named Kendall, there was a very good plot line and interesting characters. . . I loved Rosetta, she was definitely my favorite character.
I have to admit, I literally LOLed when I read that.
Go Team Rosetta?
(Launch party recap and photos to come. Tomorrow. Or the day after. But no later than that... I hope!)
