The Passage

The Passage.  I read it.  I think they should give awards just for finishing like when I was in flag football and even the losing teams got trophies.

Truthfully, I liked it immensely.  I read quickly but it took me over a month to finish this book and I was fatigued by the end.  It's a brutal bit of writing.  Much like Cormac McCarthy's THE ROAD, the hope offered is little and fragile.  It's difficult to spend hundreds and hundreds of pages with characters that you realize are all likely to die.  I'm not saying they do, I don't want to spoil anything, but there's a pervasive lack of hope that infects the novel, and inevitably infects the reader.  I didn't lack the ability to devour the book in a couple of sittings, I simply lacked the will.

That said, I think that Cronin managed a beautiful marriage of literary and genre fiction.  This is what will help save adult books.  If we stop treating genre fiction like a ghetto and realize that it can be beautiful and well-written and awesome, then maybe we can bring readers back to the fold.  Maybe TV and movies have eroded our ability to focus on whole books, but if more were written like The Passage, then it's possible to see the terrible trend of non-reading reversed.

I'm not sure I'm making much sense.  How about this:  Go read it.  It's good.  It's like TV...on paper.

Blog Chain - Lunch with Dead People

Hi!  It's Tuesday and I've got a link in the blog chain :)

This time around, the fabulous Michelle Hickman wants to know:


If you could dine with any author, and I do mean any whether alive or dead (yes, we're going into the realms of time travel - but hey, we have science fiction writers on this chain so we can always ask for them to write up the time machine specs), who would you want to dine with? And if you can ask them for advice on one writing element you feel you might be struggling at, what would it be?

 Great!  An easy one ;)  Two authors really come to mind.  One is living and one dead.  The living one is JK Rowling.  I think I'd really just like to have tea with her and chat.  The thing about her is that her writing and storytelling are so effortless that it'd ruin the magic if I asked her to "teach" me.  I think all the best bits would come simply from chatting.  When I read Harry Potter, I realized that this wasn't just a story someone made up.  Rowling infused the world with little pieces of herself.  And that's what I'd like to learn about.

The dead author is Robert Jordan.  When I say that I've been reading Jordan's books for 20 years, I mean that I've been reading ONE SERIES for 20 years.  I suppose I'd like to re-read all the books written up to this point and then sit the man down and ask him what the heck he was thinking.   Truthfully, I'd like to simply pick his brain about the series.  It was one of the most convoluted yet rich series I've ever read.  It fired up my young mind and frustrated me as an adult.  I've decided that when Brandon Sanderson (who was chosen to finish the series) writes the last book, I'm going to take them all, read them from beginning to end, and then burn them.  Maybe if I bring Jordan back, he'd like to throw the match.

And that's that!  So, if you haven't already, head on over to the Magnificent Michelle M's blog and see who she'd dig up to chat with, and then tomorrow check out the amazing Abby's blog and see what she's got to say :)

Happenings!

So I didn't mean to be gone THAT long, but yeah, I got sick in the process and that sucked.

Anyway, I wanted to let you know that on November 18th at 6:30pm EST I'm going to be on YA A Book and a Chat with Barry Eva. It's going to be fantastic and I'm really excited.  Check this out.

Okay, so I really should have called this post Happening because it's the only thing I've got ;)  Tomorrow I'll have  a blog chain post and then I've got a review of one of my favorite books of the year.  So stay tuned :)

Writing Rule

Lately my blog has become an example of a very important rule in writing: blogging/twitter/Facebook are not writing.

I've actually been ignoring blogger because both life and writing have pushed it out of the way.  I'll probably be down to a once a week schedule until I finish the stuff that needs finishing.  But this is just the way of life.  I think a lot of people who want to write focus too much on the social aspect and forget that 99% of getting writing done means shutting off the internet and doing the work.

The other thing we forget to do is have lives outside of writing.  So while I'm off doing those two things, I'll be blogging a little less frequently*.

However!  If there's anything really cool you want me to blog about, drop me a line in the comments.




*Of course this means you'll probably start getting quadruple the number of posts.

New York

So three days in NY felt like three weeks of regular time.  I'm still exhausted from the trip.

My main reason for going up there was to go to my first ever book signing.  It was held at the awesome Books of Wonder and was a joint event with some of the coolest authors I've ever had the pleasure to meet.  I mean, really.  The best part of this publishing experience has been the friends I've made.  It really boggles my mind.

Friday evening I arrived and went to see American Idiot at the St. James Theatre.  I used to do theatre in high school and even auditioned to study theatre at NYU.  So seeing the show was a pretty great experience for me.  The show itself was outstanding.  The singing was phenomenal, the dancing unique, and the set was brilliant.  The storyline was a little thin but it hardly mattered.  The ninety minutes flew by and when the curtain came down, I found myself wishing for more.

Saturday, my wonderful friend Margie gifted me with two tickets to NY Comic-con that she had in turn been given by her friend.  I was floored by their generosity.  I'd had to miss the San Diego comic-con because of my gallbladder, so it was a real treat being able to go.  It was a crazy mess of people and toys and action figures.  It's difficult to even explain comic-con to someone who's never seen the floor, but it's insane.  Trust me.  After that, my dear Margie came to town and we had dinner.  It was quite an interesting dinner that involved some unusual characters and me doing things that I wouldn't have otherwise done.  Sadly it's a story not fit for public consumption but I will say that it was a night I'll never forget.

Sunday was the big event.  I met my editors Anica Rissi and Emilia Rhodes, and my agent Chris Richman for brunch at a lovely little place.  To say I was nervous is an understatement, but they were all three so incredible and I had a great time.  They were funny and sweet and made me laugh.  Best brunch ever.  Then we ran to the event.  The moment I sat down at the table I knew I had to pee.  I figured the whole thing would take about an hour.  Ooops.  By the time the mic got to me, I was afraid I was going to spring a leak.  However it all went well.  Everyone read, answered questions, and there was much laughing by the audience.  I'd say it was a success.

The whole event was engineered by Mindi Scott, author of FREEFALL, and she was absolutely wonderful.  Everyone was.  It was pretty much the highlight of my year.  Something I'll never forget.

After that, we all had drinks and then my friends took me out and 12 hours later I got on a plane still reeking of alcohol.  Oops.

All-in-all, it was one of those weekends that sticks out in your mind.  It's the kind of weekend I'll remember always.  And I'm thankful to have gotten to do it.

So that was it.  How were your weekends?

Holy Whoa

I'll be back with a recap of the fun that was NY in a day or so.  I'm really behind on everything in my home life and work, so I'll be back to catch up soon.  But it was really fantastic.  I want to thank Mindi Scott, author of the amazing FREEFALL for all her hard work, and the people at Books of Wonder who hosted the event.  It was everything I could have ever hoped for in a signing.  Just fantastic.

If you're in NY, stop by and visit Books of Wonder.  There are a ton of signed books from some really spectacular authors.  And they have cupcakes.  CUPCAKES!

Blog Chain - My Favorite Mistake

Hi!  I'm back with another round of the blog chain.  This time around, Laura wants to know:

Regarding your writing career, what’s the best mistake you’ve ever made and why?

By the way, the Sheryl Crow song is my favorite.  Just sayin'.  Let's just say that I've got a whole lot of those to choose from.  I think I've mentioned in the past that I queried with Deathday before it was ready and got lucky that my awesome agent Chris saw the potential and helped me get it where it needed to be.  But I think the best mistake I've ever made was using a gimmick in my query letter.

I'm pretty sure that if you read the blog of Miss Snark or Colleen Lindsay or any of the other really great agenting blogs out there, you'll find an entry telling you what NOT to do, and gimmicks will be at the top of that last.  Be clear, concise, and get to the point.  I made the mistake of not listening.  I wrote up my query letter as if I were writing a deathday letter.  Basically I sent out about ten death threats.  Which is how I feared they'd be perceived after I'd already sent them.

Luckily for me, it worked.  My query was a hit and it landed me the coolest agent around. I still think to this day how wrong it could have all gone and it makes me shudder.  Instead of offers for representation, I could have been sent restraining orders.

So tell me about the greatest mistake in YOUR writing career.  And go check out the awesome mistake Michelle H made yesterday and then tomorrow go check out Abby's greatest mistake.

An Open Letter

Dear gay kids,

I've been sitting here typing a bunch of stuff and deleting it for a couple of days now.  I feel like, since I was once where you are now, I should have some bit of wisdom to give you.  I mean, I understand feeling like I don't matter, like the world would be better off without me.  I understand the crushing weight of so much hatred, both from the people around me and from myself.  I spent a lot of time so fucking frustrated that I cut myself and punched walls and just cried until there wasn't anything else left in me.

But I guess the truth is that I don't feel any wiser.  People aren't any different now than they were when I was 19.  As soon as just a couple of years ago, I was doing firefighter training and I heard a couple of guys--guys I'd spent hours working my ass off with--bashing gays.  People are stupid and ignorant and bigoted and they won't change.  You know what's going to change though?  YOU.

If I had a time machine, I'd go back and tell my 19 y/o self all the things that I've done in the last 13 years.  I jumped out of a freaking plane.  I saw my biggest dream come true with my first book.  I got to meet my three beautiful nephews.  I've been to London and Paris and Amsterdam and Rome.  I've fallen in and out of love so many times.  And I feel now like I'm only just getting started.  I'd tell my 19 y/o self all those things, show him what he's got to look forward to so that when he runs into hatred and ignorance he won't feel like his life is worthless.

And I wish I could do the same for every kid who's taken his or her own life.  You are NOT alone.  It WILL get better.  There IS so much to live for.  Yes, the sucky bits really suck, but the amazing parts are more amazing than you can ever possibly know.  Your life is going to change so fast and so much in the next few years.  If you end it now, you'll be robbing yourself of the beauty that's out there.

More than anything, I want to tell you that you're never ever going to have to go through this pain again, but I know that's a lie.  What isn't a lie is that you ARE strong enough to get through it.  You can push through the pain and get to the good, the great, and amazing parts of life that will blow your mind.  As much as life hurts sometimes, it can also surprise you.  It will surprise you.  You think you know what's to come, but you have no idea.

So I'm going to issue you a challenge.  Go get a jar.  Any jar.  Get a magic marker.  Write "Fuck You Fund" on the outside.  Every time you feel pain, every time someone bullies you or harasses you or says something ignorant, every time you feel marginalized or discriminated against, put a dollar in the jar.  Then, when you have a good chunk of change in that jar, go do something with it.  Take the money in the Fuck You Fund and say "fuck you!" to all the people who ever made you hate yourself.  Take a crazy road trip with your best friend, go buy a new outfit, donate it to a suicide help-line, do whatever you want with it.  But take people's hatred and turn it into your happiness.  Don't let them rob you of your future.

Your life is going to be amazing in ways you can't understand.  It may not seem like it now, but in 2 or 5 or 10 years, you're going to look back and be grateful that you're still alive.  There's not a day that goes by that I'm not thankful to be alive.  Even the days that suck.

I suppose that's it.  That's what I have to offer.  Fill your jars and lead amazing lives.  Don't let them make you feel worthless.  Prove the opposite.  Prove, by living, that you are fucking amazing.  Because that's how we change them.  That's how we win.


If you are feeling suicidal and you need someone to talk to, please visit The Trevor Project or call 866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386).

And if you want to send me pictures of your jars or pictures of what you spent the money on, I'll post them for everyone to see.

Blog Chain - When I Leave this World

Welcome to another Blog Chain!  Agent-mate, awesome chef, and running fool Shannon began this thread by asking:

Imagine this: when you're gone, readers will remember your writing most for just one of these things: your characters, your plots, your settings, or your style. Which one (only one!) would you prefer over the rest? Why?

What a question.  Here's the thing:  I want to be remembered for touching people.  I want to touch people near and far.  I want to touch people in far away lands that I'll likely never travel too.  I want to touch people of every race and age.

If you haven't guessed yet, I'm fooling.  I'm hoping you're laughing and not calling 911.  The truth is that before Deathday came out, I got an email from someone who really loved the book.  It made them laugh in the middle and cry at the end and they wanted Ollie to come back so that they could spend time with him and Shane and Ronnie again.  So I guess when I die, I want people to remember that I made them laugh, that I made them cry, that I made them throw my book across the room and curse me to a long, painful afterlife.  I hope to do that through a combination of plot and style and character and setting (which can itself be a character) but I think I do it best through my characters...even though I still have a long way to go.

And just so that Shannon doesn't beat me up for trying to say all four, I'm picking characters.  They're the ones your want to hang out with.

Hey!  Check out Amanda's awesome answer tomorrow and see that the marvelous Michelle had to say yesterday!

Also, go give a huge congratulations to Christine Fonseca who's book EMOTIONAL INTENSITY IN GIFTED STUDENTS comes out today.  You can even check out the first chapter here.