Persnickety Snark: This Time It's Personal!

I was supposed to be writing FABOTAGE for the past two hours—but I wrote a chapter (a full 1200 words) in one hour, and figured I should be allowed to take a break. Right? RIGHT?

So, here's what I've been thinking about and what I'd like to do—hopefully with a bit of support from the YA writing and blogging world at large. You see, since I began my own teen fiction journey, I've met loads of amazing people—from my editors to my fellow authors to the readers to the bloggers. These relationships, like many, start off hot-and-heavy and sort of fizzle out after a while. Sometimes they get ugly. But sometimes they stand the test of time and completely transcend the books (or reviews) we were originally obsessing over. That's how things have gone between me and Persnickety Snark (AKA @snarkywench, AKA Adele).

To catch you up, Adele was the first person to bring my own book to my attention when it came out in Australia, via this review (notice I’m the only person who commented on that review? Sigh. Whatever, people!). I immediately contacted her to thank her, and the love just blossomed. We've exchanged so much since then—not just emails but actual (gasp!) hand-written letters, and books (not hand-written ones, though ;-). She even sent a cape to my son (which he will be able to wear when he grows another 3 feet or so...but hey, how amazing is that?!). Anyway (I do go on, don't I?)...if you don't know of Adele or her blog, please go visit her. If you are familiar with her (or if you just became familiar with her), then you probably know she recently underwent surgery and is recovering in hospital.

This (finally!) brings me to my reason for posting: I would like to do something to let Adele know how much I'm thinking of her (beyond this blog post, I guess! :)—and am hoping there are lots of other bloggers and writers out there who would like to join me. FYI, this does not involve flowers or any sort of pressie that will be gone in a few days or weeks...this involves donating to a charitable cause (specifically: Heifer!) in Adele's name because I adore her and think that's the sort of thing she would like to have done on her behalf. (And because sometimes I try to be conscious of a world outside of my own egomaniacal one.)

SO...! Please email me here if you're interested in donating a bit to the cause ($1, $5...whatever you can afford), and I'll fill you in on the details and include you on the well-wishes card to Adele. Please contact me no later than Friday, as I'd like to get this out by the weekend.

Either way, I also want to thank all the readers and bloggers and writers out there—once again—for being such fantastically supportive and lovely people. This is a community I truly cherish.

XOXO

GIVING THANKS

I know, I know. Updating this blog is turning into something of a once-a-month occurrence, and I’m really sorry for my absence (again!). I tell you, if you have any interest in more regular updates, add me as a friend on Facebook. That’s where I tend to do most of my procrastinating. :)

Anyway, I have all kinds of excuses for being such a Blogger-slacker…which I’ve decided to share in the form of a Thanksgiving list—you know, in honor of this American holiday commemorating the time our forefathers took our fine nation by force. (Sorry…I do have mixed feelings on that!) So here we go:

I AM THANKFUL FOR...
My parents. Yes, my mom is still alive and kicking…well, barely. This will probably be her last Thanksgiving, and I’m glad I’ll be spending it with her and my dad. It’s been a crazy six months, watching the two strongest people I’ve ever known fight an unwinnable battle. Dad’s been carrying the care-giving duties like a true champion. Meanwhile, my mom—a woman who has achieved so much, not the least of which was putting away rapists and child molesters as a deputy D.A., and presiding over death penalty cases as a superior court judge—has exhausted all possibilities, and herself in the process. But somehow she still manages to laugh at my jokes, to challenge injustice, and to persevere. Who knows? Maybe she’ll even surprise us all and kick this damn cancer to the curb. (It would take a miracle, but I’ve heard those do happen…somewhere.)

My boys. I don’t know how I got so lucky. I’ve been riding a very bumpy and slightly run-down emotional rollercoaster, and my husband and son have been absolute rocks—giving me the kind of unconditional love you just don’t find all that often. Even as my husband struggles with his own challenges (continuing the job search, for one), he has stepped up and taken over a huge amount of responsibility around the house and with little man Jack and just put up with more than anybody ever should have to. Meanwhile, one smile from my son—or a hug, or a kiss, or a heart-melting “I love you” (which he says practically every ten minutes) can't help but shake me out of whatever funk I’m in. Man, I love these men.

My work. At a time when a lot of people are struggling to find jobs (including my husband!), I have somehow managed to land more assignments than ever. In the past few weeks alone, I’ve written articles for American Baby, Fitness, Baby&Toddler, New Parent, VIV, and Weight Watchers magazines. I’m also in the midst of writing the fourth and final book in the FRENEMIES series—and I (yes, I) came up with the title for this one! It will be called FABOTAGE and it will be FABULOUS. Plus, I’ve been having a blast connecting with all my friends in the local L.A. teen lit group—the LAYAS—doing library events (read the hilarious recap from one of my fellow panelists, HOTTIE author Jonathan Bernstein here), among other fun things.

The world. I’m sad to say that GLAMNESIA (book three in the FRENEMIES series, and the best one yet—in my oh-so-humble opinion) is not yet available in most territories (including the U.S.—I promise, I’m working on this!), but the book known as MEILLEURES ENNEMIES TOME 3 just came out in France and I’m already receiving très gentile emails from my readers there. I’m also glad to have the support of my publishers in Australia, Germany and the Netherlands (the latter two just released the first book in the series…if you’ve picked up a copy there, please email me and let me know what you think!).

My friends. This includes you—the people who come here and check up on me, even when I don’t update the blog very often—and everyone else who’s stood by me during a pretty rough year, sending messages of love and support and being patient with me when I don’t respond to phone calls or emails in a particularly timely fashion.

My TV shows. Seriously. Nothing helps take my mind off of life’s downers quite like a good, campy TV break. I finally caught myself up on GLEE—even had to purchase the first few episodes on iTunes because I was so late getting to that game (and I’ll admit I’m a bit obsessed with Puck)—and could not be more thrilled with the latest season of 90210, in particular.

So, there’s my list for now. I know it sounds sort of bittersweet, but that’s how this year has been—and far be it from me to sugarcoat things. Anyway. What will you be doing to celebrate this week (if you’re in the U.S., that is)—and wherever you are, what’s on your gratitude list?

XO

Say "Bonjour" to GLAMNESIA

For those of you who pay attention to these things, I have indeed written a third (and am in the midst of writing a fourth—due in six weeks, OMG!) book in the FRENEMIES series. In fact, BONJOUR? Book three will be coming out in France next month—and could you aimes the new cover plus? (At left. Oh. Mon. Dieu. So cute, right?)

I have to tell you (at risk of sounding egomaniacal beyond belief), I think GLAMNESIA is the best book of the series so far. But I also have to tell you I don’t really know when it will be available in the U.S. (or Australia, Germany, the Netherlands...) I can tell you I’m probably going to post a little snippet of it here on the blog (and on my website) soon…and I will do my best to get the rest of it to all my adoring readers asap. I mean, I don’t want to disappoint BEST FANS FOREVER who send me hilariously awesome emails like this one*:

Dear Ms. Young,
I am Hayley from Las Vegas, Nevada, and I am 13 years old. But, more importantly, when is Glamnesia coming out?!? I HAVE to know. I am dying Dying DYING over here!!!!!! It is very not nice to leave readers hanging like that! I saw on one website that it comes out January 2010! They better be wrong, because I will die die DIE if that is the case! That is waaaaaaaaaaaay too far away! So please please PLEASE speed up the Glamnesia production. I know you have a separate life and I’m reaaaaaalllllly sorry about your mom (see bottom), but can you please think about your adoring fans (like me!), and put the pedal to the metal? That’s all I ask. I cannawt believe what Avalon did in Faketastic, by the way. I never liked her or the idea about acting like she likes Wade. It was just begging for disaster. Anyhooo, please do something in your blog about Glamnesia or e-mail me back at ***.
Love,
Hayley H.
P.S. I really do feel for you about your mom. Although on your blog it doesn’t say what kind of cancer your mom has (that I can find) I can relate. My mom was diagnosed with leukemia a few months after I was born, and has been battling it ever since. But, luckily, she went into remission a couple years ago and is still healthy. I know how you feel, and all of your emotions, but please please please try to spare some details about Glamnesia as soon as humanly possible! :-)
P.S.S. Is Joy really your middle name, or is Alexa Joy just a nickname? Just wondering.
P.S.S.S. I noticed that I used a lot of words three times in this email. You should create a character who says all of their words 3 times in honor of me! ;)
P.S.S.S.S. Since you are a writer and up to date on grammar and stuff, is it grammatically correct to say P.S.S.S or is it P.P.P.S.?, Haha, random, I know.

So, how great is Hayley? I’ve exchanged a few emails with her and she’s even smarter and cooler than this message suggests (if that’s possible). I’m also totally going to try to create a character who repeats words three times for emphasis, as she requested—but, get this: Because it might be tough to name a character Haley (Halley...Haley...get it?), she asked me to name the character after her BFF Kayla. So, that’s what I’ll try to do. Whether or not it happens after edits and all that…I just want to publicly say: HALEY AND KAYLA ROCK!

And I am doing everything within my power to get GLAMNESIA out to the world (not just France), asap. Please stay tuned…or learn French…or both. :)

XO

* Yes, permission was granted to post this email on my blog. Duh!

Hallo, Deutschland! And Dutch-Land!

FRENEMIES is now available in Germany (TITLE: Beste Freundin für immer. Wer ist die Coolste im ganzen Land?). Check out the über-adorable cover! Das ist cool, nein?

Sprechen Sie Deutsches? (I don't, sadly.) Then visit the Random House-Bertelsmann FRENEMIES page here, and you can flip through the first 25 pages of the book.

FRENEMIES will also come out in the Netherlands on Monday, 12 Oktober (that's how they spell it there :). (TITLE: Beste vriendinnen, ergste vijanden) I LOVE THIS COVER TOO!

How much fun is this? I'm feeling so very international. And like a beer. (Drinking one, that is.)

XO

Write On, Teen Nonfiction Types!

I can't tell you how many times I get emails from readers telling me how much they could relate to some of the situations in FRENEMIES, or how many girls ask for advice on how to become a real, bona fide, published writer. (Okay, I'll tell you...it's happened a few times.)

Well, whether you've written to me or not, now's your chance to get published, simply by talking about yourself and the drama that is your life. (And hello? Who doesn't love to do that?!) To learn more, simply visit IHeartDaily (one of the best teen sites on the web, co-run by one of my favorite people in the entire world).

Go now, GO!

You can thank me later. (Okay, thank Melissa Walker. I get all my good ideas from her. :)

XO

Endless Summer

Well, it's no longer summer but I'm back down in San Diego with the whole family again. As I mentioned in my last post, my mom's cancer situation continues to be a bit grim, and we all want to get as much time with her as we can...in case, well, you know. :(

In happier news, if you're struggling to accept that the summer has actually ended, you must check out an awesome new blog being run by the beloved Harmony: Summerland Books. Harmony has been a great friend and supporter of FRENEMIES from the very beginning, and she was kind enough not only to make me one of Summerland's featured authors but also a guest blogger this weekend. So, head on over there to see what my favorite must-have summer finds were this year...and be sure to tell us what yours were!

XO