Hostess with the Mostest

What is a struggling author to do when her book has come out, but no one seems to realize it? Throw a party, of course!

And just in case you think that the publishing company pays for things like that, let me tell you right now that is not the case anymore. A friend of mine asked me once before an author appearance I had in New Jersey if the publishing company was sending me there in a limo. HA!!! That's hilarious. No, I drove myself and paid for my own gas and tolls. I attended a panel discussion of Latina writers a couple of months ago and they spoke about all the challenges they have faced in the publishing business. One of them, who used to be an editor, revealed that the publisher's budget for an author--especially a new, unknown author--is very small. They can spend anywhere from $500 to $5,000 on promoting you. (Most new authors are in that $500 slot, and that includes stamps, labels, envelopes, everything!) And once they've spent that...well, that's pretty much all the promoting they can do. The moral to this story? Authors these days are responsible for their own promotion, and if that means spending some of your own money, so be it.

And so, with promoting my book in mind, I put together a Your Life, but Sweeter launch party on February 4 at Characters NYC, which has a private, spacious back room and the nicest staff ever. Characters provided the mozzarella sticks, buffalo wings, vegetarian spring rolls, sliders, and quesadillas. Dylan's Candy Bar provided the fresh popcorn machine. And Magnolia Bakery provided the "sweet" part of the Your Life, but Sweeter party: an assortment of cookies, brownies, and lemon squares, two dozen cupcakes, and a glorious red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. And I bought big swirly lollipops from a tourist shop on 8th Avenue. My mom helped me out by printing out small copies of the book cover so we could glue them to the lollipops. Everything looked mmm mm good.

And my friends at Mobile Libris once again provided the books. Sharon Preiss herself, who runs the company, came this time to help train her new employee, Casey. As always, they set up a great display, using the poster the Columbia University Bookstore had made for my appearance there last month.

A bunch of my friends and coworkers came out, as well as my wonderful parents. Also in attendance, Tonya and her daughter, Bria (whose birthday party I wrote about in a previous blog). We also had a battle of the cute babies going on. My editor, Stephanie, and her husband, Dan (who took the author photo featured in the books), brought their adorable new daughter, Maggie. My coworker Evan and his wife brought their new little one, Caspia. And my best friend brought her one-year-old, Arielle. Cuteness all over the place, I tell you. (I'll add more pictures later.)

It was a short party, but by the end of the night, I'd sold 37 books, all my guests were loaded up on sugar and popcorn, and everybody had a good time. So was it worth the expense? Without a doubt. It felt great celebrating the books with all these people I care about and who have been so supportive of me and my writing. And to be honest, I'm proud of myself. True, I spent almost all of last year working my tail off, but nights like this make it all worthwhile. Thanks for the love, everybody! 

I also found out some pretty exciting news (at least to me): One of the professors at my alma mater, Penn State-Behrend, contacted me to let me know that she is using Your Life, but Better and Maya & Miguel: My Twin Brother/My Twin Sister as part of the curriculum for her English class. How cool is that? She even invited me to come by the campus to speak to the writing students there. I have also been invited to do a book signing at the Montclair Public Library in New Jersey this April or May. I continue to be amazed how one thing leads to another and another. But I'm still learning about how to get my books out there more. I've been told I have to actually contact schools and ask them to invite me to speak. (Who knew?) And I just entered my first two books to be considered for the NY Book Festival this September. Eh, it's worth a shot, right? Bear with me while I try to get myself off the D-list in the publishing world.  

Have a safe and happy long weekend, everybody. 

An Audience of Two

So how are all of you dealing with this crazy winter? For those of you living somewhere warm, I am jealous. Here in New York, it has been snowy, slushy, rainy, windy, icy, and just plain yuck!

I got a spot in this outdoor lot when I first moved into my building during the summer.
Seemed like a good idea at the time.

OK, this guy was pretty cool. Wish I could take credit for him.

Anyway, it has been COLD! (And that's coming from a girl who spent three years in Erie, PA, during college. I'm talking lake-effect snow, people!) So it wasn't much of a surprise to me that no one showed up to my reading this past Saturday at the Columbia University Bookstore in Manhattan. (Awww...)

But wait, before you go feeling too sorry for me, I hear this is something that happens even to A-list authors, so at least I'm in good company. Besides, I did have some dear fans show up--two to be exact: my mom (naturally) and my friend Camille, who'd come down from Inwood just to support me. The store manager felt bad that there was no audience for me, but I was actually relieved. Even though I've done a few of these now, it's still nerve wracking every time. So I was kind of okay with having my audience of two. :)

However, we wanted my trip there to be worthwhile (we had braved the snow and cold, after all), so Camille brought me every copy of my books they had and I signed each one. While I was doing that, a customer in the store let me know that his daughter, Samaya, wanted to meet me. She lives in California and wants to be a writer when she grows up. (I love that she is in 3rd grade,  the same grade I was in when I decided that I wanted to be a writer.) She asked me how I went from being her age to becoming a published author. I actually get that question a lot. Camille, who is a copy writer by day and a fiction writer by night, and I gave her the following advice:

1. READ! Really, I think there's no better way to learn how to write well then to read everything you can get your hands on and get a feel for how its done. (Samaya is reading the Harry Potter series right now. Excellent choice.)

2. Keep a diary. It's great writing practice. Plus, it helps you remember experiences that you might use later on in your writing. I've kept one since I was 13 years old.

3. Take as many writing classes as you can. It sometimes bothers me that people seem to think writing is easy and anyone can do it. Not true! When I started taking writing classes in high school and college, I realized how much I had to learn: character development, pacing, plot, themes, structure... Natural talent is great, but learning a little technique really makes it shine. I still have a lot to learn and hope to take more classes in the future.

Also, I think it's important to share what you write and get feedback. Don't just hide it away under your mattress. Seeing how somebody reacts to what you've written, and sometimes even hearing criticism, can help you grow as a writer. I may have mentioned this before, but my favorite writing professor in college gave me a C- - - (yes, three minuses) on my first paper, and it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. Until that moment, I thought my writing was perfect. Being told that it wasn't did sting, but in the long run it helped me improve.

And once you feel you have gotten the hang of it, why not try to put your writing out there in any way you can? These days it's a little easier with the Internet. But back in the day (yikes, I was a teenager before the Internet took off), I just entered every writing contest I could, and I sent poems and short stories to literary magazines. I wrote letters to the editor in hopes of being published in the school newspaper. I participated in open mic poetry nights at local cafes and made friends with other people who like to write. (You can learn a lot from other writers and you can share opportunities and information with one another.) The point is, keep writing and sharing your work!

Anyway, after we talked with Samaya  (who is adorable, by the way), we took this picture together and I gave her one of the key chains I'd made.

Me and Samaya at the Columbia U. Bookstore.
January 15, 2011

Samaya, if you're reading this, don't forget to stay in touch and let me know how the writing is going!

So after the signing, my audience of two and I headed to Havana Central and got some lunch. (Yum, yum, and might I add, yum!) If you ever go there, have the corn on the cob. No, seriously. Best thing ever.

Camille and me at Havana Central. 

My mom is the best. Love you, Mom!

So what's next? I've been asked to participate in the Montclair Library's Black History Month celebration on February 26. Should be fun! And of course, I'm still working on my next book, getting the first couple of chapters under way.

At the risk of making this blog post the longest one in history, I have to add one more thing: I was watching BET recently and they had an event called Black Girls Rock, where they honored trailblazers in the community. (It was an amazing show featuring Keisha Coles, Jill Scott, Nia Long, Missy Elliott, and many others.) Anyway, one of the honorees was Adele Taylor, who founded Adele's Literacy Library when she was only 13 years old. Her goal is to get everyone in the world reading. She spends her time traveling around the country, reading to children, donating books, and advocating for literacy in children and adults. She is amazing! I was so impressed with her that I emailed her to tell her so, and decided to donate ten copies of Your Life, but Sweeter, as well as a pile of Random House books that my editor helped me assemble. Adele is such a class act that she responded personally to my email. We now hope to meet the next time she's in New York. (Not that that will be for a while. You see, Adele is also busy attending conferences to promote peace. Love this girl!) If you want to help Adele in her efforts, check out her website: adelesliteracylibrary.org. You can help by donating money, books, or time. Keep up the great work, Adele!

And now, I have to finish packing. My parents and I are off to see my grandparents in Florida today. I'm hoping it will be at least a little bit warmer than it is here in New York! See you when I get back.

I Heart You, PS 22

I just had to tell you guys about my new obsession: the choir of PS 22 in Staten Island, NY. Have you heard these kids sing yet? I just came across them by accident recently, only to find out that they've already been on Oprah, the Today Show, and will soon be performing at the Oscars! They've performed with Queen Latifah, Common, Crowded House...the list goes on.

Anyway, I think they're amazing, and their director, Mr. B., has got to be one of the coolest teachers ever. They sing everything from Passion Pit and The Cure to Jill Scott and Alicia Keys. He's had some soloists in there (I'm talking 10-year-old kids) who have blown me away with their talent. They obviously work hard, and they love what they're doing, and as a result, they are getting some well-deserved recognition.

So I just wanted to use today's blog to put one more spotlight on them and to say how extremely proud I am of all the kids involved. This illustrates for me once again that the arts are SO important in schools. I know that when I was in school, being in the chorus, playing violin, getting to draw and write short stories and poetry--that's the stuff that really made me love school. And teachers like Mr. B make it possible.

Here's a clip of the PS 22 chorus doing Lisztomania by Phoenix--one of my favorite performances of theirs. If you want to see more, check out Mr. B's blog at ps22chorus.blogspot.com.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mZ1zV1l2KQ

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I can't believe it. The busiest year of my life, 2010, is done. When I think about everything that has happened in the past year, I'm really surprised that I squeezed all that into twelve little months. But somehow I managed to have three books published, hold six book signings, and throw two book launch parties. I went to Greece and attended my first writers workshop abroad (and sprained my ankle). I went to Prague in the Czech Republic. I proofread countless books. I taught my first proofreading class at NYU and survived! I was the maid of honor in my best friend's wedding. I traveled to Milwaukee to attend another friend's wedding. I started working on my next book. I went to a rally in Washington, D.C. I spent a weekend in Kansas City, Missouri. I attended a taping of The Daily Show. I threw four baby showers and a bachelorette party. I spent time with my family. And of course I maintained my full-time job throughout all of that.

Phew! Just reading that list makes me tired. But it also makes me really proud. It was an exciting, challenging, and rewarding year and I couldn't be more grateful--especially since it ended on such a high note.

On December 18, I experienced another first: my first book reading at a birthday party! Tonya Johnson, who organized the writing panel at Watchung Booksellers, has been in touch with me ever since that event. And her daughter, Bria, had become a fan. She liked the first two books in the Your Life series so much that they invited me to do a reading of Your Life, But Sweeter at her birthday party. Sweet!

The party's theme was centered around my book in that it involved all things sweet. The girls made chocolate lollipops, there was a deliciously sweet birthday cake, and I brought gingerbread houses for them to decorate together and candy canes full of M&Ms. And what a great bunch of young ladies! Before I got started, Tonya had them all introduce themselves and tell me what they want to be when they grow up. One wants to be a doctor, one wants to be a writer (a girl after my own heart), a few want to be fashion designers, and a few couldn't decide between modeling and sports. Bottom line, they were all ambitious, intelligent, cool, fun, and creative. My kinda crowd.

After I had them take one of the quizzes, I read one of the chapters. And then we just talked a little bit about the process of writing these books and how I got started. We talked about some of the themes of the first two books, and they told me about their brushes with fame and the kind of books they're reading. (They were appalled that I haven't finished reading the Twilight series yet. I guess I'd better get on that!) Afterward, I signed all of their copies of Your Life, But Cooler and Your Life, But Sweeter with my favorite purple pen. And the budding writer of the group let me read the beginning of her very first novel. It was so much fun. Girls, thanks for helping me end the year with such a bang. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRIA!

And Tonya and Tanya, thank you for giving me and my books so much love. I appreciate it more than you know! Here are just some of the pictures from the party. If you want to see the rest, go to the Your Life, But Better Facebook page.

Tonya even made the girls goody bags to take home.
What a great mom!

From left to right: Tonya, me, Tanya, Shania, and Bria

Bria and Melissa reading along

Marianella, Divya, and Becky working on the quiz

Here I'm explaining how the quizzes work with the book.
Marianella volunteered to be the one to reveal her quiz results
so we could decide which chapter we would read next.

Jacqueline and Shania

Here I am with Tonya (Bria's proud mom and party organizer)
and Tonya's friend Tanya, who she's known for years. 

The whole gang from the top left: Me, birthday girl Bria,
Shania, Marianella, Jacqueline, Divya, Melissa,
Gina, and Becky 

From left to right (front row): Gina, Becky, Divya, and Melissa

(top row): Me, Bria, Shania, Marianella, and Jacqueline. 

Reading from Your Life, but Sweeter

Cheesing for the camera

Bria and Melissa (I hope they were laughing at something
funny in the book!) 

Jacqueline and Shania giving me their full attention

Me laughing at something one of the girls said

Marianella, Divya, and Becky deep in concentration

Tonya, me, and Tanya
You will never meet a nicer pair of women.

Getting to know the girls

Showing the girls my scrapbook. (I started keeping one
when things started to take off with the books.)

Jacqueline and Shania

So glad I brought my favorite purple pen

The line to get their books signed

Marianella, Divya, and Becky

Check out that sweet cake. Mm mm good...

The fashionistas in training striking a pose.
From left: Gina, Bria, Jacqueline, Shania, and Marianella 

It looks like they had so much fun. 

Happy Birthday, Bria!

So that was 2010. What's next, you ask? Well, I'll be spending some time promoting Your Life, But Sweeter--starting with a book signing at the Columbia University Bookstore on January 15 at 1 PM. Pleeease come through and buy a book or two. (Or at least bring enough people with you to make it took like Taylor Lautner is there instead of little ol' me.) I've also started planning the book launch party, which I think will be in the first or second week of February. Details to come! 

Finally, I've started working on my next book. In the meantime, I want to hear from you. How were your holidays? And what are your hopes for 2011? I'm all ears. 

Let's Read!

I hear all the time that kids these days don't read--that they're far more interested in TV and video games, so pretty soon kid's books will be a thing of the past. Well, I'm happy to say that all the kids I'm meeting while promoting my books are proving that theory wrong, wrong, wrong.

This past Sunday, I was invited to participate in Columbia University's Let's Read event, which was focused on kids ages 4-12. There was musical entertainment, resources for parents, and several authors (including yours truly) in attendance to read from their books. (Thank you to Troy CLE--the author of the Marvelous World saga--for recommending me, and to Lamar Lovelace for organizing.) It was the first time I'd ever stepped foot inside one of Columbia University's buildings. If you've never been, Columbia has a beautiful campus, especially in the fall when all the leaves are turning orange and yellow.

There I am outside of the Low Library. 

Anyway, I was pretty nervous. I had been asked to read from one of my Maya & Miguel books, which were published in  2005 and 2006. Back then I never got to do any author appearances or anything. I did the writing, and that was pretty much it. (Believe me, I was plenty excited just to get to do the writing.) This was the first time I'd be reading one of my Scholastic books for an actual audience of kids. Scary. Would they think it was funny? Would they find it boring and throw rotten tomatoes at me? I had no idea. But I had my moral support with me: my parents; my friends Camille, Shona, Maria, Brian, and Dereeka; Dereeka's kids, Arielle and Kevin; and Maria's niece, Katalyna. So even if all the kids did start throwing tomatoes, I'd have at least a dozen people standing by ready to tell me that getting pelted by rotten fruit is a sign of affection.

Thankfully, I didn't have to go first. That honor went to Quiara Hudes, the author of Welcome to My Neighborhood. After she went out onto the stage and sat in the big green chair to read, I peeked out to see how the kids reacted. Within seconds, Quiara was swarmed. The kids edged closer and closer to the stage, until they finally hung off the sides off the chair, listening to her with rapt attention. It was adorable. When Troy went out, he got the same treatment. The kids were all over him, listening to each and every word. This was my kind of crowd! Meanwhile, I stayed backstage, talking to Chris Grabenstein, author of The Smoky Corridor and The Hanging Hill. Chris was once an improv comedian, so for him, entertaining a group of kids is easy as pie. He told me about some of his school visits, where he and the students write a ghost story together. The kids end up not only entertained, but really excited about writing. Genius!

It was no surprise at all that when Chris walked out onto the stage and began to read one of his stories in a deep booming voice, the kids were entranced. I couldn't hear the whole thing from backstage, but every once in a while, I'd hear all the kids scream or laugh or clap. I was clearly following a rockstar.

At last, my turn came. After my introduction, I went out and sat in the big green chair, looking out into an audience of mostly very little kids and their parents, all sitting cross-legged on the floor. I said hi, told them I'd be reading one of the stories in Maya & Miguel: My Twin Brother/My Twin Sister, then asked if any of them had brothers and sisters. Hands shot up all over the place as kids shouted out "I have a brother!" or "I have a sister!" Some of them even had twins. "You have a twin?" I asked one boy. "Well, then this story is especially for you." I started reading, and just as they had done with all the authors before me, the children stormed the stage. Some leaned over the sides of the chairs, some stood behind me and read over my shoulder, some stood right in front of my chair and stared right at me as I read.

They laughed in all the right places. They interrupted to comment on things in the story. And they loved Maya and Miguel's pet parrot Paco (try saying that five times fast), who squawks and talks. See the little blond girl to my left? She's informing me here that parrots repeat everything you say. :)

Finally I finished my story and everyone clapped. I couldn't even leave the chair at first because I was still surrounded by kids. I loved it.

After I took off the mike, I walked back out to greet my friends and family but was immediately approached by some parents, asking me to sign books for their children. I spent the next half hour or so signing books and taking pictures with my friends and my new fans.

Sibling love!

My best friend Dereeka; her kids Arielle and Kevin;
my friend Maria and her niece, Katalyna; and me. 

Me and my friends Shona and Camille. 

And I'm so glad I stayed until the very end. The event opened with a jazz quartet and ended with an amazing a cappella group that sang "Sunday Morning" and a really cool Michael Jackson medley. 

A cappella group singing "Sunday Morning."

Post-reading celebration at Havana Central
with my friends and fam. Mm mm good.

Long story short, I had so much fun on Sunday. Plus, I sold some books while I was at it, and I was offered the opportunity to do a couple more book signings! Stay tuned for info about an appearance at the Columbia University Bookstore this January (Thanks, Amanda!), and I may be working with a nonprofit group that focuses on helping teens make good decisions. (More details on that once I have something nailed down.) I am really loving how one thing leads to another and another.  

As for my last proofreading class, well...I wish I could say it went as well as the Let's Read event. Since I've been on vacation all week, I was coming from Queens into Manhattan. I had to stop by my day job first because my friend from work was helping me with my lesson plan about book covers. (I owe you one, Derek.) I decided to drive. MISTAKE! I got caught in unbelievable traffic and it ended up taking me two hours to get to the city. Unreal. Then I got a surprise email that I'd have someone observing my class to make sure everything was going well. Great. Then when I caught the train to the school, the 6 train held me hostage just long enough to make me ten minutes late. Exactly what you want to happen when someone will be there making sure you're doing your job correctly. (sigh...) As I ran up the escalator stairs to the classroom (which wasn't easy, considering I had a bag full of heavy books and handouts for the students), I thought NYU will never want to work with me again! I finally reached my class to find my students (and the visitor) patiently waiting for me in silence. All eyes were on me as I huffed and puffed my way to the head of the class. Which is when I noticed the computer that had been set up for me--and that I completely wasn't expecting to be there. (I had requested it way back before the class started but had since decided to just use the overhead projector.) It took several minutes to figure out how to turn it off. And when I went to write some things on the board, I found there was not one piece of chalk to use. Jeez. Worst start of class ever. 

Thank goodness it got better. First we went over the design homework, then we did a review of proper querying; the difference between en-dashes, em-dashes, and hyphens; ellipsis points; and all the things involved in proofreading a nonfiction book. (Why, yes, it is as exciting as it sounds.) I also brought in for show and tell the new edition of the Chicago Manual of Style, which I bought over the weekend, to many oohs and aahs. Finally, we learned about proofreading book covers. 

You may not know this, but the cover of every book you read has been edited by a ton of people before it winds up in your hands. The copy writing department writes the text, the art department designs the images and layout, the editorial and publicity departments work on getting reviews so that we can put quotes on the cover, and people like me in the production department read it over and over again to make sure there are no mistakes. It's a lot of work for what seems like a small thing. Anyway, I gave the class a paperback book cover to proofread together. They actually seemed to have fun with it. I'm sure it was a nice break from the big chunks of text I've been giving them. At last, I handed out their homework and we called it a night. When I got home, I emailed the visitor to see what she thought--and to apologize for the technical difficulties. To my surprise, she wrote back that she'd loved the class and my enthusiasm. She said she even learned a couple of things that she hadn't known before! Phew... What a relief. Only two more classes to go... 

In other news... My friend and former coworker, Signe Pike, just had her book, Faery Tale, come out this month. Signe traveled to Ireland, Scotland, and England, among other places, to find out if faeries are real. Very cool. Check it out if you get a chance. It may be too mature for my fans, but it would make a lovely holiday present for any adult. :) 

And while you're doing that, read up on all the authors who participated in the Let's Read event. Not only are they awesome people, but their books are sure to be some of your favorites. 

Quiara Hudes: www.quiara.com

Troy CLE: www.marvelousworld.net

Chris Grabenstein: www.chrisgrabenstein.com

Henry Neff: www.henryhneff.com

Deborah Gregory: www.cheetahrama.com