Mike Jung's Blog, page 30
March 7, 2013
Regarding the tribe
It hasn’t been hard to find things to feel grateful for these past couple of years. My book was published, obviously, but there’s a whole host of lovely and enjoyable things that have come along with that, most of them centered around the people I’ve had the good fortune to meet. The work I’ve been able to do alongside of those people is something I’m immensely proud of, but equally important is the way I feel about being a part of the children’s literature tribe. That word, “tribe,” is bandied about with great frequency by us kidlit types, but I still put great stock in it, you know? I love that it implies a kind of responsibility – a commitment to promoting the general welfare, if you will.
We’re all invested in keeping the industry healthy on a commercial level, and we’re even more invested in a deep, rich, enduring culture of storytelling. The collective investment I just might appreciate more than any other, however, is our investment in taking care of each other on a psychological and emotional level. There’s no single manifestation of that investment in care, and of course we don’t all give or receive gifts of emotional care in the same way. We take our occasional lumps from care-giving efforts that don’t align with our individual modes of being. We fight, we bark at each other, and occasionally the great, fuzzily-defined tribe (and its sub-tribes) develops fissures and splits. Sometimes we redirect our allegiances in unexpected ways. The kidlit tribe is not humankind’s first true, unsullied utopia; we’re all still just human.
But we try, you know? We really try. We commiserate when things are hard, and we celebrate when things are good. We push each other to take risks, help each other lean into discomfort, and hold each other up as we persevere in the face of our inescapable imperfections. We share so much: our work, our progress, our hard-won knowledge, our hopes and dreams, our insecurities and fears. This is a business, and a challenging one. No, it’s not as hard as coal mining in 19th century Colorado, or subsistence farming in the rocky soil of Honduras, but it’s still hard. Contending with the psychological battering rams of rejection, discouragement, and envy is no small task. But still, we try.
That means something to me. Here’s to the tribe.
m.
February 23, 2013
Fashion, a.k.a. There’s Always Room for Personal Growth
I’m writing a 12-year-old girl character who’s very into fashion, which is a challenge for me because I’m not knowledgeable on the topic. In fact, I’m realizing (not for the first time) that I have very deep, very powerful negative feelings about the world of fashion, and by extension those who are interested in and engaged with it. This is not going to help me write my new book; in fact, it’s really not going to help me, you know, be in the world. So here we have our hero Mike, unearthing yet another massive reserve of judgment and bias. I don’t actually know if I’d be doing this if I wasn’t attempting to write this book. So does being a writer automatically make us want to be better people? Probably not, but in this particular instance I think it’s at least helping me TRY, which must count for something.
November 27, 2012
Thank You
October 7, 2012
I Survived the Launch Party! Hooray!
Ye gods, the launch party happened! As you can see by the above video clip (which agency-mate Christy Lenzi helpfully recorded even as I completely forgot to), I even managed to write and perform a theme song for it. (If you look closely you can catch the occasional glimpse of my pig-tailed daughter grooving along.) I’m completely gobsmacked by all the people who turned out for it – every single world in my life collided there. I met people like Christy and Sarah Stevenson for the first time. Kevin Cullimore, one of my oldest friends, actually flew out from the east coast for it! Maybe best of all, my editor, the one and only Arthur A. Levine, was coincidentally in town for another occasion and brought his entire family to the party. I love my editor.
The 6.13 year old did a bang-up job serving as the announcer, and the staff at Mrs. Dalloway’s Bookstore were the best of hosts – they took very good care of me, and if I actually get to hold future launch parties, they’ll be at the top of the list. A few photos, all of which were graciously taken by other people:
I got to meet my fellow imaginary Twitter band member Sarah Stevenson, author of THE LATTE REBELLION!
Here’s a rarity: a picture of me I actually like.
Why do I have the best editor in the world? Photos like this are just one reason why.
Book-themed Oreos! That’s Captain Stupendous, and Vincent, and Polly…
My colleagues at the Saint Mary’s College library turned out in force.
Author at work, yo.
Me and my buddies Christy Lenzi and Edna Cabcabin Moran!
Cheri Williams deserves a flipping medal for all the help she gave me.
Thank you, thank you, and thank you to everyone who came to the party, bought a book, or cheered me on from a distance – it’s no fun to throw a party if people don’t actually show up. People showed up in a big way – old friends, more recent friends, brand-spanking new friends, writers, colleagues, teachers, librarians, and most important, kids. I got to sign books for kids, including a few who’d already read the book! Otis, for example, very respectfully asked if I was finished with the next book yet, because he really wanted to read it. You’re the man, Otis. I’m working on it.
BTW, I haven’t forgotten about the whole pre-order contest thing! The winner of a GEEKS, GIRLS, AND SECRET IDENTITIES tote bag, a copy of Dan Santat’s SIDEKICKS, a copy of Martha Brockenbrough’s DEVINE INTERVENTION, an 8×10 illustration of Harry Potter and Hedwig by GEEKS artist Mike Maihack, and an utterly random wind-up tin toy robot is JIM HILL! Doooood, congrats and thanks for pre-ordering the book – I’m afraid it’s gonna take me a few more days to get your prizes shipped out, but ship them out I will.
And now, I shall take a deep breath…
m.
September 20, 2012
Another post about pre-ordering the book, I know, I know...
1. A copy of Dan Santat's domesticated superhero graphic novel SIDEKICKS;
2. A framed 8x10 drawing of Harry Potter & Hedwig by GEEKS illustrator Mike Maihack;
3. An entertainingly old-school wind-up tin toy robot;
4. A copy of Martha Brockenbrough's stellar debut novel DEVINE INTERVENTION (Not available at the launch party! Just for you, babies!); and
5. A lovely GEEKS, GIRLS, AND SECRET IDENTITIES tote bag to carry it all in.
Yes, there's a heavy Arthur A. Levine Books slant to this prize package - I'm nothing if not loyal to my publisher. That's it! Pre-order a book, enter to win the contest! I'll even provide the link to pre-order! Got it? READYSETGO!
http://shop.mrsdalloways.com/book/978...
A contest is such a transparent way to get people to do stuff, isn’t it? HEY LOOK, A CONTEST!
DEVINE INTERVENTION isn’t in this picture. You know why? BECAUSE ONLY THE WINNER OF THIS CONTEST GETS DEVINE INTERVENTION IS WHY, THAT’S WHY
It’s been an exciting two days of writerly fun! I feel like giving stuff away! Okay, I’m trying to convince you to pre-order my book too. Might as well own it, huh? Here we go: I have these door prizes to give away at my launch party, but many of you CANNOT ATTEND MY LAUNCH PARTY! So I’m gonna reserve one of those door prizes for y’all. If you pre-order my iddy biddle book before October 1 through the fine independent bookseller Mrs. Dalloway’s Bookstore, you’ll automatically be entered to win the following:
1. A copy of Dan Santat‘s domesticated superhero graphic novel SIDEKICKS;
2. A framed 8×10 drawing of Harry Potter & Hedwig by GEEKS illustrator Mike Maihack;
3. An entertainingly old-school wind-up tin toy robot;
4. A copy of Martha Brockenbrough‘s stellar debut novel DEVINE INTERVENTION (Not available at the launch party! Just for you, babies!); and
5. A lovely GEEKS, GIRLS, AND SECRET IDENTITIES tote bag to carry it all in.
Yes, there’s a heavy Arthur A. Levine Books slant to this prize package – I’m nothing if not loyal to my publisher. That’s it! Pre-order a book, enter to win the contest! I’ll even provide the link! Ready? READYSETGO!
August 27, 2012
Pre-ordering autographed copies of, um, the book
Sadly, I didn’t make it to the Mockingjay Release Party at Mrs. Dalloway’s Bookstore, but maybe you did? Maybe?
Yes yes, I might as well get it right out there- this blog post is all about buying copies of my book. Sorry. BTW, you should hop on over to EMU’s Debuts and read Laurie Boyle Crompton’s post about book trailers and the imperfect nature of the book launch process, it’s a good one.
Anyway, some lovely people who are unable to attend my launch party at Mrs. Dalloway’s Bookstore in Berkeley, CA have asked how they can get their eager little mitts on an autographed copy of Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities, and lucky for them I have a very smart editor who knows about these things. So! Mrs. Dalloway’s is gonna make it happen for us. I’ll give every single copy that’s pre-ordered through Mrs. Dalloway’s a big, fancy, curlicued, personalized autograph, complete with a semi-competent superhero doodle. I’ll also include a shiny new ID card confirming your membership in the Captain Stupendous Fan Club, and a big, frosted slice of my everlasting gratitude. You can contact the store over the phone, 510-704-8222, via email, info@mrsdalloways.com, or through their website.
I suspect you all know the drill, but just to cover the bases: I support independent bookstores, and they support authors, particulary noob authors like myself. Mrs. Dalloway’s is throwing their weight behind my launch party with a gratifying degree of enthusiasm. Indie bookstores like this one deserve and need our support, and by pre-ordering your copy from Mrs. Dalloway’s you’ll be helping a great store AND a flibbertigibbet debut author. I say “pre-order” because I don’t know that I’ll be able to autograph orders that come in after the launch date without horrendously slowing the final delivery time, but I’m going to spend a big chunk of the actual release date (October 1) at the store, scribbling away. Hopefully I’ll get the chance to scribble in a copy with your name on it.
m.
June 12, 2012
My whereabouts at the ALA annual conference
June 6, 2012
My first Apocalypsies post
http://apocalypsies.blogspot.com/2012...
May 29, 2012
Blurbs are really fun, yo
“If Stan Lee had written Freaks and Geeks it would look like this!” – Matthew Cody, author of POWERLESS
Now, the reason this blurb won’t be used on the book itself should be pretty apparent – 9-12 year old kids are very unlikely to give a rodent’s hairy patootie about a late 1990s genre-busting TV show that was unceremoniously canceled after a single season. However, long-standing Judd Apatow fans like myself who still mourn the untimely demise of Freaks and Geeks (as well as the equally lamentable termination of his slightly more recent series Undeclared) just might fall over and hit their heads on the floor from lurching, uncoordinated glee, just like I did.
Of course Stan “The Man” Lee is the all-powerful demigod who, in concert with the immortal Jack “King” Kirby, led Marvel Comics through the most fertile and game-changing era of character creation in the history of the comic book industry. GEEKS, GIRLS, AND SECRET IDENTITIES is peppered with not-so-subtle references to their creations.
In other words, this semi-official blurb won’t mean a lot to the typical middle-grade reader, but it pushes a whole slew of MY personal fanboy buttons. Pretty great, huh? I tell ya, this “being a writer” thing just keeps getting more and more fun…
m.
