Last week I recorded an interview with Jill Sheets of KOPN 89.5 out of Missouri, and it's going to air TODAY between 3 & 5 pm CT! If you're in the area, give it a listen and then let me know if I sound as nasal as I think I do!
Also, I rambled. I'm totally sure I rambled.
But, whatever, it's still cool. We talked about She's SO Dead to Us and Geek Magnet, as well as a bit about Private and Privilege. You'll even get to hear who I think should play my characters if the books are ever made into movies! Jill had some great questions. I just hope I had some good answers!
Here's the link to the station's website if you'd like more info: http://www.kopn.org/ They even have some archived podcasts on there, including an interview with the lovely ELIZABETH SCOTT, whose novel Bloom I am currently reading and LOVING!
Right, so . . . my car died. Last week, I THOUGHT it died when my husband went to Trader Joe's to pick up bananas, came out five minutes later and couldn't get it to start. Turned out that was just the battery. We replaced it and a hundred bucks later, all was well. Yipee!
Then, today, I try to go to the supermarket. Now let me just say that I love food shopping. It's, like, one of my favorite chores in the world. I go up and down every single aisle slowly, taking the stuff I need, checking out stuff I've never noticed, maybe deciding to try something new. It makes sense, I guess, since I like to cook and LOVE to eat, and today I was particularly psyched to go because I was having trouble working and was looking forward to getting something productive done. But alas, as I'm pulling out of my driveway, my car starts to shake, and putter, and shimmy. None of these are good signs. I drive around the block without getting on any major roads and I don't like the way it's acting, so I give up and come home. Two seconds later, the "emissions system light" comes on. I look it up and it says that if the emissions system goes, it could leak potentially hazardous fumes into the passenger cabin. Yeah. I turned the car off. And now it's getting towed to the mechanic.
So what does all this have to do with wishing I had special powers? Well, the first thing I thought of when all this was done was . . . weren't M an I just talking about this over the weekend? How I used to lease cars and how it's kind of a good thing because you always give it back before anything goes wrong? How yes, you do have to put down a new down payment every few years, but at least you KNOW when it's coming. How when you buy a car it could go at any second and then you're smacked with this huge repair bill out of nowhere that you're not prepared for? And I thought huh. So why did I buy THIS car when the lease was up? Why didn't I just lease a new one?
Apparently, it was because I'm stupid.
But anyway, I started thinking that maybe I'm psychic. Maybe we had this conversation this weekend because I knew, somehow, that my car was about to die. For a second I was all psyched. A silver lining! I started to try to remember what OTHER conversations I've had recently so I could figure out what THEY might be telling me.
And then I realized . . . if I really WERE psychic, wouldn't I have known this BEFORE I bought the car and therefore avoided buying the car? Right. So I guess there's no silver lining. Except at least I didn't brake down with B in the car. That would have been a nightmare.
So no special powers for me. And really, if I could have one, it would be the power to teleport. Because then I wouldn't need a car at all. Unless I was going shoe shopping. Because then I'd need it to haul all my purchases home.
Sorry I didn't get to post yesterday, but today is the BIG DAY! One of you is about to win a free signed copy of GEEK MAGNET and a free signed copy of PRIVILEGE! And that person is . . . .
JENNAH!
Just email me your full name and address at kieran@kieranscott.net and I'll get the books out to you next week! (Or you can DM on Twitter. You know where to find me! @kieranscott)
I'll send the books out next week! Congrats and HAPPY TEEN READ WEEK!
As Teen Read Week continues, I continue to give you MY recommendations for some of my favorite teen reads! And you should give me yours, too . . . because it could win you some free books. Just comment on any of this week's blogs with the title of your favorite book (and a little bit about it) and you'll be entered to win free signed copies of GEEK MAGNET and PRIVILEGE!
Today's recommendation is . . .
REBOUND is the story of Ray Wisniewski, a Polish guy at Franklin High whose dream is to make the Varsity basketball team. The only problem is, at Ray's school, white kids wrestle and black kids play ball. So when Ray finally makes the team, his predominately white friends don't understand why he's shunning them, and his predominately black teammates don't want him around. Gradually, Ray makes some friends on the team, but solidifies some enemies as well. This book is an unflinchingly honest look at what it's like to navigate racial divides in high school, but it's not all serious all the time. There's a sweet love story involved as well. Plus plenty of fantastic b-ball action!
Enjoy! And don't forget to post your recommendations below!
Thanks to everyone who's already posted their favorite books on yesterday's blog comments! There are a lot of books that I've never even HEARD of and I can't wait to get reading! In the meantime, here's another of my recent favorites:
SO PUNK ROCK was written by my friend Micol and illustrated by her brother David, but I'm not just plugging it because she's my friend. This book had me laughing out loud from the first page! It's the totally original story of Ari Abramson, a not-so-cool dude who attends an all-Jewish prep school in New Jersey. His solution to transforming himself from geek to uber-cool? Starting up a punk rock band, of course. The cast of characters is realistic and lovable and you'll adore reading all about Ari's ups and downs with his friends, his family and his band.
Enjoy! And keep those suggestions coming! Remember, one lucky commentor will win a signed copy of GEEK MAGNET and a signed copy of PRIVILEGE this Friday!
To celebrate Teen Read Week I've decided to give away one signed copy of Geek Magnet and one signed copy of Privilege this Friday! All you have to do is comment on this blog with the title of YOUR favorie young adult novel--and maybe tell us a little bit about it, too. (I'm looking for good reads, as, I'm sure, are some of my blog's followers, so share, share, share!) Make sure you send all your friends as well. The more the merrier! I'll choose a winner this Friday.
To get the ball rolling, here's a little bit about the last great YA book I read:
Lucky by Rachel Vail is the story Phoebe Avery, the youngest of the three over-privileged Avery sisters. Phoebe has never had a real problem in her life and has always taken her luck for granted. So when things start to go wrong in her life, she doesn't really know how to handle it. First her mother loses her high-paying job, then her super-popular friends seem to be getting ready to dump her, and the eighth-grade graduation party she's been looking forward to all year could be cancelled. Phoebe takes a step back to figure out what her priorities are, and may just find out she's a bit happier NOT having it all.
And the best part? Lucky is part of a triolgy, with each book focusing on one of the Avery sisters. I highly recommend you check them out!
As some of you already know, I'm kind of a TV junkie, so even though I LOVE the autumn for all its fabulous colors and foods and clothes, I mostly love it for the new shows. I look forward to the old ones coming back, too, but there's just something about a fresh show with all new characters to learn about and a spanking new world to immerse myself in that just makes me sigh with happiness. So herewith, my five favorite new shows of the fall, in no particular order.
EASTWICK
This has everything I love. Strong female characters. Sexy boys. A fully realized quirky small town atmosphere. (I think the thing I miss the most about Gilmore Girls is Stars Hollow--oh, and Logan, but he's on The Good Wife, so it's all good.) And, of course, magic. I know you're all obsessed with vampires these days, but I can't wrap my brain around that fantasy. I mean, it's all about the girl being victimized by the guy. Being the helpless, fainting female who is so entranced she just has to give in. I'll take some strong, in-charge witches any day, thanks. But that said, show #2 is . . .
THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
Because Elena and Bonnie ARE strong. And Stefan is hot and noble. And we have yet another fully realized, quirky, small town atmosphere that's completely different from the one in Eastwick. Plus they're clearly not afraid to go for the shock, or to kill off people we THINK are main characters. Go fearless writers, go! Also, the books are better than the Twilight books. Yeah, I said it!
NCIS: LOS ANGELES
They had me at Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J. I've never watched the original NCIS, but I checked this out for my boys, and found out it's really some good, silly fun wrapped around a bunch of explosions and high-speed chases. Love Pete Cambor (miss Notes From the Underbelly). Love Linda Hunt's Hetty and it's nod to The Incredibles' hero-suit maker. Love everything.
FLASHFORWARD
I thought I wouldn't want to get sucked into a drama that I HAD to watch every week, but who am I kidding? I watch everything every week anyway. And a show like this, that makes my heart stop every five minutes, was going to suck me in no matter how hard I tried to resist. A lot of people don't like shows that mess with their heads. I LOVE THEM. Mess with me some more! I don't even WANT to figure it out. Just string me along, baby, and I'm there all the way! (In TV. Not in life.)
GLEE
I told my mother to watch it. She asked what it was about. Instead of trying to describe all the layered characters, the incredible music, the awesome dance numbers, the hilarious writing and the perfect casting I just said, "Glee is joy." She's hooked now.
So that's my fall TV wrap up. Oh and if you want to know my five favorite returning shows? They are, in no particular order:
CASTLE
BONES
UGLY BETTY
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
I regret to report that I am totally over:
90210
GOSSIP GIRL
That I was majorly disappointed by:
MELROSE PLACE
COUGARTOWN
And that I'm pissed off they didn't give more of a chance to:
I've always been a huge sports fan. A New York Giants die-hard basically since birth. A serious Yankee fan (though I'll admit I like playoffs a lot more than regular season games). A huge tennis fan (Roddick, Nadal, Blake, Sharapova, Dementieva and lately, Melanie Oudin). And I'll get into Devils hockey the longer the season goes on. But there's one thing I've never been able to stand about professional sports (aside from the egos, the steroids and the admittedly ridiculous salaries).
It's how much the networks love to show the losers.
The Yankees win the ALDS. YAY! They celebrate. They jump up and down. They tackle each other and run around and act like little kids. As they should. This is a happy moment. So why are you showing me the barely-controlled tears of the Minnesota pitcher who screwed up the ninth inning? Or the hanging head of the dude who totally missed the third-base coach's call and fell down while doing his shotty base running? All I can think about is how for the next two months those guys are going to be wishing they could have those moments back. How much it's gonna hurt. How their kids and their moms feel so awful for them. And I don't want to be thinking that in that moment. I want to be thinking about our big win.
(Plus it's even worse when it's YOUR team that's lost. I'll never forget the Giants-Ravens Super Bowl when we were just completely trounced, how the network kept showing Kerry Collins and Tiki Barber and Michael Strahan and Ike Hilliard and Amani Toomer just staring straight ahead or sitting on the bench with towels over their heads. I actually cried.)
There are a couple of exceptions, of course. I have enjoyed shouting "suck it, Philly!" at the Eagles more than once in my long and storied career as a Giants fan. And you can show me as many heartbroken shots of Tony Romo as you can dig up. But when the G-Men decimated the lowly Raiders yesterday, I just kept thinking, these poor guys. They work their butts off to get to the NFL and then they end up on a team that can't even get some positive running yards. So sad.
Of course, then my husband pointed out that they ARE playing in the NFL, and there are tons of dreamers out there who never even got to be on a SUCKY team, let alone a good one, so they're probably doing okay Which is a good point. I guess I should try not to feel TOO sorry for them.
I can't imagine JaMarcus Russell is gonna be sitting around feeling too badly for me if my next book tanks. :)
I'm so excited to share the news about my next book! I love the title, I love the cover (it's not the final, but I love it anyway), I love the publisher, I love the story, I love . . . everything!
(Well, except trying to revise it. See previous post.)
The book is called SHE'S SO DEAD TO US and it will be coming out in May 2010 through Simon and Schuster (the brilliant publisher of the PRIVATE and PRIVILEGE novels). It's all about a girl named Ally Ryan, who grows up in a town called Orchard Hill, which has a very wealthy side and a very poor side. She lives on the wealthy side until her dad messes up and loses all their money (plus some of her friends' families' money) and they have to move away. Two years later, her parents are separated and her mom takes a job at her old high school, moving the two of them back to the "other" side of town. Will Ally's friends take her back, or has there been too much scandal between them? And what about the gorgeous boy living in her old bedroom? Can a girl who has nothing be with a guy who has it all?
Right, so the thing about being a writer (in my world, anyway), is that some days I am in the mood to write, and some days I am not. Today would be one of the latter. Which is a shame, considering I have a rush revision to take care of.
Sigh.
Last week I had ALL THIS ENERGY, but this week I'm all blah. And it's not that I don't want to revise this book. I DO! I LOVE this book and I want to make it the best book it can possibly be. (Oh, and speaking of, this BOOK won't even be officially announced until TOMORROW, at which point you should definitely come back here because then I'll let you know ALL ABOUT this BOOK.) Plus my editor's notes are great and not at all scary. I just can't bring myself to open the file and work.
Which is probably why I'm here. Writing. Which I claim I'm not in the mood to do.
Double sigh.
Okay. It is 12:55 PM. I am going to put in AT LEAST two hours on this thing. I am. IamIamIamIamIam.
Huh. Have you ever noticed that if you say "I am" over and over enough times it starts to sound like "I yam?"
Funny. Okay. 12:56. Here we go! Wish me luck! I'm going now. I really . . . yam!
So this past weekend I particpated in the Collingswood Book Festival in Collingswood, New Jersey for the very first time. It was all the way down in South Jersey, about a two hour drive from my house, mostly along the Turnpike, which is a long and boring road to drive. But once I got to Collingswood, I was enchanted. Not only is it a beautiful town with super cute shops and restaurants and a lovely library, but the event was MASSIVE! The town closed down its entire main street and there were tents set up right in the middle of the road. Authors had their own spots to show their books, plus there were seperate tents for readings and performances and signings. Here's a pic of the table I shared with four incredibly nice authors:
Each of the authors had her own unique story about how she got started in publishing. Erica Serdashney is a teacher (and a true Jersey Girl like me!) who wrote a book called Cranes for Cristian; the inspiring story of one of her students' struggle with cancer. Bree Donovan wrote a book about Olympic runner Steve Prefontaine called Steve Prefontaine - Rocketman, some of the proceeds from which go to benefit Steve's elementery school in Oregon. Michelle Weisen, who teaches writing at the college level, formed her own indy publishing company to publish her book, Lavinia's Window. She was nice enough to give me a copy and even though I've only had a chance to read a few pages, I'm hooked! It's historical fiction, which I love to read, but could never write, so I'm always impressed with the authors who can.
A little later in the day Courtney Sheinmel, middle grade author of My So Called Family and Positively, took the seat right next to mine. We'd never met before, but quickly found out we knew a lot of people in common, and had tons of fun doing our reading and question-and-answer together. Here's a pic of me and Courntey:
Then our mutual friend Wendy Mass arrived to do a reading from her latest book. Courtney and I were totally in awe of the huge line that formed for Wendy after her reading. We were in the presence of a star! This is a badly off-center pic of Wendy getting ready for her reading along with her teen interviewer Katie:
I also met a lot of incredible teen readers, many of whom were psyched to reed Geek Magnet, which still makes me smile. Can't wait to participate again next year!
Oh, and on the way home across my lovely state, I stopped at one of the New Jersey Turnpike rest stops and the sound system was playing Bon Jovi's Living on a Prayer. You really can't get more Jersey than that!
Well. Here I am. Blogging. This is new. I mean, I've blogged on myspace before, but somehow having a blogspot blog feels so . . . official!
For those of you who don't know me, my name is Kieran Scott and I am an author of young adult fiction. My books include I Was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader, Brunettes Strike Back, A Non-Blonde Cheeleader in Love, and Geek Magnet. Have you read them? If you have, I'd love your feedback. If you haven't, go buy and read them NOW! I need the money so I can send my son to college one day. And also, I have a thing for very expensive bags.
Just kidding. Sort of.
Anyway, I've actually set up this little blog space because VERY SOON I will have my very own functional website (it will be at www.kieranscott.net) and I need to have a blog attached to it so I can post superfun info without having to get all HTML-ey about it. So from now on, this is where you should visit if you want to hear about the following:
*book releasees
*book signings and readings
*book festival appearances
*my thoughts on all the new fall television shows
Yeah, that last one will probably be just for me. :)
I'll let you know as soon as the website is live! Until then . . .
Hmmm . . . I feel the need to come up with a fantastic sign off. Any suggestions?
