QUAD

Anyone Who Isn't Outraged Isn't Paying Close Enough Attention

There was ANOTHER school shooting today. 

Cleveland Ohio this time. 

Is anyone counting, or has this month been so prolific that we're simply losing track?  Or is it interest that we're running short of?   I mean, how cavalier are people getting about the whole thing?  Yesterday, Yahoo news reported on a new show coming out that allows people to tattle on their neighbors, to publicly air their neighbors' laundry to a national audience.  How freaking mean is that???  Is that really the mentality we've sunk to in this country?  Isn't there enough natural drama in the daily act of just being and surviving, do we really have to encourage folks to stir up outrageous drama for sheer entertainment value?  Christians and lions, anyone?

Cleveland, my heart goes out to you.  Take care of yourselves and your children - they need it now more than ever.  To the rest of the country: How far are we willing to let things go?  What are we doing to our children?  And what will it take to anger us into demanding that our schools be safe? 

Isn't three school shootings in three weeks enough?

Sometimes It's Too Cool To Be An Author

I'm baaaack.  It's been a while, yes.  But I've been off doing authorly things.

Last weekend, I went to West Hollywood to do a reading at the West Hollywood Book Fair with my friend and fellow YA author Leigh Purtill.  She and her husband Maurice are the dearest people I've met in a long time!  We partied (sort of) Saturday night at the Algonquin Soiree (not really a soiree by definition, but interesting nonetheless), went out afterward for the best Thai food I've ever had, and rocked the Robertson Theater at WeHo on Sunday.  We were originally supposed to be at the Robertson Cafe - but as it turns out, the only difference between the Robertson Theater (a tent) and the Robertson Cafe (a tent) was which side of the sound booth we were on.  Here we are, answering audience questions:

This weekend, I went down to Oakland for the NCIBA Trade Show.  This is the annual trade show for Independent Booksellers (woo-hoo!  we love our indies!!)  It was really interesting, a new window for me on the way the publishing industry works, from a completely different perspective.  I signed and gave away a ton of books, plus I got a ton of great books too.  A few of my favorites include Simon Wood's Accidents Waiting to Happen and Alice Walker's new kids' book, Why War is Never a Good Idea.  Yes, I did meet Alice Walker (the Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple, my all-time fave!!)  But I have to admit that I have a slight grown-up crush on Simon Wood, who is cheeky (yes, I said cheeky) and British and promised to teach me proper British swear words for the novel I'm currently working on. 

I was invited to come to the trade show by my dear friend and fellow SCBWI member Margaret Speaker Yuan, author of many biographies, including one on Philip Pullman.  Here is a a picture of me, Margaret, and another friend and fellow SCBWI member, kids book writer and illustrator Kathryn Otoshi.

Watch this space for updates on upcoming Teen Read Week events.

Tragedy Averted ... for now

Just how quick can a touchy situation escalate to the unthinkable?  I was right in the middle of explaining an upcoming project to my class when the email came through: a disgruntled student at a neighboring high school had a gun, fired some shots, and was holding students hostage.  "No need for alarm," they said.  "We will not be going on lock-down at this time."

Who would have expected something like that on a day like today?  A perfect fall day, sunny, with just the right amount of breeze and chill in the air.  Football games tonight.  A Spanish project in the works.  Lunch plans being made, and then BAM!

But it did happen today.  It happened at a nearby school.  And not just any nearby school: it's a school where I used to teach.  That's how fast the unexpected can happen.

I can't help but look around at my students after hearing something like this.  Which one of them is a target?  Who's being brutally teased?  Who's being pushed closer and closer to the edge every day, day in, day out ...?  If it happened there, it most certainly can happen here.

Please learn how to be an ally to a student, a peer, a neighbor.  Every kid needs an ally.  Every.  Single.  Kid. 

Why Reviews Are Totally Lame

One of the hardest things for any artist to deal with - whether it be an actor, a painter, or a writer - is for people to review and critique your work.  You try to develop a thick skin - and I've done pretty well with that.  A less-than-stellar review doesn't shred me anymore, just leaves a faint mark.  Okay, maybe a small bruise.  But here is a fabulous example of why it's really important to keep the so-called professional reviews in perspective.   Consider this one that I just discovered in a journal I won't name by a reviewer who I'll call Sour Grapes:

The contrived and awkward style keeps this from being successful even as a shallow high-action story... characterization goes beyond reductive to dismissive... Acceptance of superficial causality means that the revelation of the actual shooter lacks impact.

Contrast that mean-spirited and off-base review from a "scholarly journal" with this review from a reader who is a real-live teen and goes to a real-live high school:

Two of the characters, Rufus and Ranger, reminded me of my best friend and me. I read the book in two nights, a total of two hours.  It was a good story. I liked the way the chapters were mixed up with the different characters' perspectives. I keep reading to find out who the shooter was. The book did a good job of brainwashing me on who the shooter was.

I guess the real lesson for artists of every stripe is this: remember who your audience is and don't let them down.  In the end, no one else matters.

Pop Quiz - Choose the best answer:
Many professional reviewers...
[A] will only read every fifth word of the book
[B] are on crack
[C] are bitter because they've never had a book published
[D] all of the above

To Do List for Friday

• wake up at the crack of "please-god-no!"
• get a mucho-freaking-grande coffee on the way to school (I'll need it)
• teach Spanish I (repeat x3)
• go to mall - try to find a fabulous outfit to wear to the West Hollywood Book Fair next weekend
• watch HSM2 for the eleven-thousandth time with my kids (I know all the songs.  I really don't want to.  But I do.)
• chug a quart of Airborne (Everyone's sick right now!  Everyone!  For the love of Mike, use hand sanitizer, people!!)
• pass out on the couch before Primetime is over (is it just me or is John Stossel starting to get on your nerves too?  Take a pill, John!)
• Saturday morning, sleep in
• hit farmers' market
• enjoy the unbelievable fall weather - hope you do too!

To Do List for Friday

• get my new website up and running
• kill all the bugs in my new website
• wait patiently for viewers to tell me if it
  • [a] totally sucks
  • [b] is ... okay
  • [c] seriously rocks
• thank my husband for marrying a crazy person

   

In Memorium

There are no words. 
In honor of the loss of innocents and innocence...
and
In deep gratitude for those who went above and beyond
on September 11, 2001.

Whatever happens to those really annoying kids in class?

If you've ever wondered what became of that really annoying kid sitting right behind you in class, the one who made bizarre noises and never shut up and the teacher was constantly riding his ass or sending him out to the hallway ("If you want to make noises, you'll have to do it in the principal's office - I'm sure he'll be amused!") then look no further. 

That guy from second period Spanish who made you want to give yourself a tatoo with the tip of your freshly sharpened Ticonderoga pencil?  I found him here, on YouTube, of course. 

And here's the rub:  he's actually really friggin' talented.  Who knew?

Back To School

While some folks are just headed back to school next week, I'm here to report the completion (yesterday) of Week 3 at the illustrious high school where I teach.  Week.  Three.  Isn't that obscene?  For the record, mid August is the hottest friggin' time of the year where we live.  Oh sure ... it's cooler today than it was yesterday.  But I still contend that ninety-eight-muggy-degrees is pretty much the same as one-hundred-and-five-muggy-degrees - it's still HOT no matter how you slice it.  And it does feel like you can slice it; I mean, the air is thick with heat. 

We're supposed to go to the air show today.  Ninety eight humid degrees, compounded exponentially by the sweeping expanse of blazing tarmac and the jet engines spewing thousand-degree contrails down the runway. 

On the other hand, the jets make a really loud noise. 

Anyway, happy three-day weekend and if you're just headed back to school remember: be kind.  Everyone around you is fighting some kind of battle.

  

One World

I love love love this idea!  Check this out.  This is one of those, "Why didn't I think of that?!" kinds of ideas.  If I were to send one in, mine would say, "No day but today."  What would yours be?  Post your One World message here.