Greetings, I want to recommend a terrific and hilarious new book to you. Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway is the story of a 16-year-old Southern California girl named Audrey, who in a fickle moment breaks up with her musician boyfriend, Evan. He writes a song about the break-up, called "Audrey, Wait" which becomes a pop music sensation. Audrey, Wait! is Audrey's version of the pop song story, as she's suddenly catapulted to unwanted fame and tabloid-stalking, but retains her own sense of self, surrounded by a great cast of friends and family. What I love most about Audrey is she's an awesome Every Girl -- sort of the coolest girl you wish you could be, but also the coolest girl you already are. I first met Robin Benway, the author of Audrey, Wait!, when she was a student of mine in a creative writing class I taught at UCLA Extension a few years ago. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist was about to be published, and I saw in Audrey a kindred spirit -- I feel like Audrey could be Norah's SoCal gentile cousin-in-spirit, or something. And Audrey's author Robin is as cool and funny as you'd imagine -- go on and friend her already! She's on my Top Friends page, and you couldn't ask for a nicer person to add to your friends list. In other news, I'm back to writing again after about a year and a half immersed in the slacker lifestyle. I'm perched in the Writers Room again (mentioned in Page Six yesterday! but I swear it wasn't me who blabbed...and my cell phone etiquette is impeccable, for the record), procrastinating again, trying to remember how to write a book. In Hollywood news, Hayden Panettiere has signed on for a potential adaption of Naomi & Ely's No Kiss List! This doesn't mean an actual movie is going into production (a script still needs to be written, etc.) yet, but it's an exciting development. Here's hoping. I really really have to stop procrastinating now. I hope you'll check out Audrey, Wait!, and if you have any tips for me about how one goes about writing a novel, I'm listening! Cheers and happy reading, Rachel
My new book, You Know Where to Find Me, is now available online and starting to appear in bookstores.
It's a different kind of novel from me. It's not so funny HAH HAH, but has a darker tone than my previous books (and a very black sense of humor, I like to think). It's more "literary" than previous books I've written (which hopefully doesn't necessarily = boring), although not because I was trying to be all high-falutin' fancy, but because that style better suited this particular voice and story. From the description on the book flap:
First cousins Laura and Miles grew up like sisters. Miles thought of Laura as the golden one -- smart, beautiful, rich, and popular -- while Miles considered herself the unwanted one -- an unattractive, underachieving outcast. Laura's suicide shatters Miles and leaves her feeling completely alone, and sets Miles on a dangerous downward spiral. But in the strength Miles finds in herself and in those she didn't believe cared about her, she is able to rebuild her life in unexpected ways.
Rachel Cohn's emotionally powerful new novel views serious issues such as depression, suicide, prescription-drug abuse, and alternative family configurations through the lens of family love and survival.
I'll be honest with you -- this was the hardest book I've written so far. Not hard in the way writing commonly can be, in the sense that you often feel lost, don't know where the story's going, etc. It was hard because the character herself was so lost, but I knew exactly where she was going, and that place was very, very dark. I think adults can sometimes too easily dismiss the deep feelings of teenagers, sort of like, "Well, you're so young, what can you know yet of hurt?" But emotional pain can come at any age, no matter how young. How a person disseminates that pain, and whether or not they can reach out for support from others, can very much shape who they become. That's what this book is about. I hope you like the book and I am eager to hear your thoughts about it.
For more background on the book and what inspired me to write it, please check out the new page I recently put up for it on my website. I also just posted an iMix if you want to check out some of the songs I listened to while writing; you can find it by going to the iTunes Music Store, click on the Music option, then the iMix option, and search there for either my name, or the book title. (I also have iMixes for Nick & Norah and Naomi & Ely there, too -- same search parameters.)
You Know Where to Find Me has gotten some nice reviews so far and was chosen as a spring 2008 Book Sense pick (thank you, independent booksellers). But that's the boring blah blah blah business part. Here's the interesting part. As always, I have some extra copies I'd like to unload to spare me another trip to The Container Store (that store is just too sexy for organization freaks like me, so better to keep me and my credit card away from it). If you're still reading this far into the post, here's the deal:
CONTEST! I'll give away 10 signed copies of the book. I am not clever enough in this moment to figure out an amazing!incredible!wow! contest idea, so I'll keep it simple. Post a reason why you should get the book as a comment on my MySpace page. Have fun with it -- beg/plead/cajole, post some art, offer me chocolate or other confectionary sweet bribes, whatever. Just be passionate in your reason for wanting the book. I'll assign an Independent Jury (most likely consisting of a chosen few of my bazillion relatives) to pick the winners. Please post by March 15, 2008. Have fun, and thanks!
Cheers and happy reading, Rachel
Currently
reading
:
Little Friendly Advice
By
Siobhan Vivian
Release date: 01 March, 2008
You asked, I answered. Here's the latest Q&A installment. Thanks to everyone who sent in Qs! Wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year, filled with great books, great music and great friends. (Great cupcakes, too -- duh.) Cheers and lots of love, Rachel
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Q: How did you feel when you were told that they were turning N&N into a movie? Is the plot changing a lot? Who the hell is Lethario on IMDB? Can we know some of the songs on the soundtrack? I know Bishop Allen and Project Jenny/Project Jan. A:ECSTATIC!But I didn't really believe it, until the first day we visited a shoot on Ludlow Street (see:David's awesome "On Ludlow" lyrics on pg. 113 of N&N) on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and we saw all the trucks, trailers, seemingly gazillion production crew running around coordinating Yugos and vans and taxis and actors, and freaking lights being brought down from a CRANE.Then, I started to go, WHOA, this is actually happening!Also, meeting supernice Superbad star Michael Cera, and seeing him in the "Salvatore" jacket, in a Yugo, also made clear this dream was real! The plot is essentially the same as the book (two broken-hearted, straight edge bridge-and-tunnel teens meet at a punk show in Manhattan, and fall in and out of love throughout that same night wandering the city), but the main difference is probably that Nick and Norah's friends have bigger, broader and very, very funny stories in the movie, and the places Nick & Norah go change somewhat (although they did film a scene at the restaurant Veselka – same as the book! – and guess who got to extras sitting at a table behind Michael Cera and Kat Dennings?David and me!) "Lethario" is not someone from the book.He's in the music club scene that opens the movie, and he becomes part of the group's adventures throughout the night.He's played by the very cool Jonathan B. Wright, one of the stars of one of my personal favorite shows on Broadway, Spring Awakening. (insert fangirl *squee*) I don't know about the soundtrack!I do know it's something all the filmmakers care very much about, so I'm betting it's going to be just as good as all the amazing people working on it.
Q: What will the Nick & Norah movie be rated? Do we know? A:They're aiming for PG-13.Which seems hard to believe if you remember the language (and certain, ahem, scenes in the book), but I do think the filmmakers have very creatively and subversively figured out how to get that rating without sacrificing the spirit of the book.And I say this as the person who maybe most wanted all those F-bombs to stay in the movie.But they've made it work!No f*!$ing kidding!
Q: Why Kat Dennings? A:Having met her and watched her film scenes as Norah, I can only answer back with another Q:How could Norah be played by anyone butKat Dennings? I seriously, honestly, truly couldn't be happier that she was cast as Norah.If anything, her only "flaw" is that she's too beautiful!I imagined the Norah in the book to be not so glamorous looking, but hey, this is the movie version we're talking about.And the coolest thing about Kat is that even if she doesn't look exactly the way we imagined Norah in the book, I am telling you for sure for sure that in personality, she is PERFECT.She's got exactly the right attitude, humor and vulnerability. I couldn't love her more as movie Norah. And I feel that way about all the cast; while not all of them looked the way I pictured them in the book, in personality, they were all so well-chosen, but also, each actor made the characters their own. The movie is the movie and the book is the book...and I think each character/actor does and should stand independently on their own in each separate version.
Q: i was looking at the cast list for the N&NIF movie, and they didnt list who was playing tal, is tal in the movie?? A:This guy.He's awesome!
Q: If you could wake up tomorrow with the ability to play any musical instrument... what instrument would it be? Why? A:This is such a great question, but I have to answer honestly that the real ability I'd want, rather than being able to play a musical instrument, would be to have any singing ability whatsoever.Those who've seen me karaoke can attest to my enthusiasm, but any actual singing talent?Um, hells no, unless singing way way wayyyyy off key counts. I don't know much about the instrumental aspect of music, but certainly the kind of music I'm drawn to most involves exceptional vocalizing; my favorite music to listen to usually involves musicians who are also incredible singers, like Aretha Franklin, Donny Hathaway, Dusty Springfield, Cat Power, Cesaria Evora.So if I imagine myself as a "musician," I'd say my fantasy would be as the smoky chanteuse in a beautiful red dress and burgundy lips belting out sad songs of woe and heartache.Yep, I'd love that.
Q: Do you know when they're releasing the movie? Will it be in selected theatres or all of them? A:As of now, the release date for the movie is set for October 3, 2008, and it should be a movie in wide release.
Q: What's your new book "you know where to find me" about?? A:I have to admit that I am the worst person at describing my own books.(I'm also crap at Scrabble and verbal portions of standardized tests, for the record.)When I try to explain my books, I feel like I either make them sound stupid, or I sound stupid for trying to make them sound better than a reader might find them to be. That being said… You Know Where to Find Me is a sad but tender story about a lonely girl named Miles.When her cousin, the closest person to her, commits suicide, Miles' life spirals into grief and depression.It's a book about surviving and growing through very painful circumstances.While the subject is dark, Miles has a very dark sense of humor to go along with it.She's funny – but in a very different way from previous books that I've written.This is definitely the most personal book I've ever written.The book is not based on my own experiences, but its voice is a perspective of looking at the world that's closest to my own.Maybe that's why it was the hardest book I ever wrote.It took me two years to write this book – usually a book takes me about 4-6 months for a first draft. The book will be released on March 4, 2008, and I really really hope you all like it. Here is the first review that I've seen for the book.(I generally try not to post reviews because I know from experience that one reviewer's positive perspective on a book can quickly be undone by the next reviewer's negative take on the same book.But because this book was so challenging to write, I'll admit it was a relief to see that the first review for the book was positive.) From Publishers Weekly: You Know Where to Find Me (starred) Rachel Cohn. Simon & Schuster, $15.99 (208p) ISBN 978-0-689-87859-6 Cohn (Gingerbread) delves into her darker side as she probes a teen's suicide and the painful repercussions for her loved ones. After her best friend and first cousin, Laura, kills herself with an overdose of prescription drugs, 17-year-old Miles is shattered: the person Miles believed would always be there for her has left without even saying goodbye. And when her flaky mother flees town to mourn with her boyfriend in London, Miles is left alone with Laura's father to endure a summer of grief at his D.C. estate. A prescription-drug addict herself, Miles must embark upon a journey of self-discovery if she is to survive. Cohn once again excels at crafting a multidimensional, in-the-moment teenage world, this time without recourse to her usual witty style. There is a bleakness to her language that superbly suits this sad, somber tale. Her work is heartbreaking, at times excruciating to read, but it rings with authenticity. In pursuing Miles's responses, she spares few details, neither the methods via which Miles and Laura procure their pills nor the actual medical causes of Laura's supposedly peaceful death. The tragedy of teen suicide has been the subject of countless novels, yet rarely has it been discussed with such gritty realism. Ages 12-up. (Mar.)
Q: how come you rock so much? A:A steady diet of sugar, caffeine and chasing pigeons in Central Park.How come you all rock so much?
Q: What advice would you give to an aspiring writer? A:Since I get asked this question so frequently, I hope you won't mind if I direct you to this blog entry I posted last year that includes answers to some questions about the writing process and the business of publishing.
Q: Are you planning on using all or most of the music from Nick and Norah's Playlist in the movie? A:I'm pretty sure some of David's great Nick song lyrics make it into the movie. And just a reminder that I have playlists for Nick & Norah and Naomi & Ely posted on iTunes.To find them, go to the iTunes Music Store, choose the Music section, then go to the "iMix" link on the side, and type in my name, David's name, or either of the books' titles to find the playlists.Hope you enjoy them!
Q: You've already collaborated with David Levithan, but if you could choose another author to work with, who would you choose and what kind of novel would you want to write? A:I couldn't predict exactly what type of novel I'd want to write, and I'm not anticipating writing another novel collaboration, but if I had to choose, I'd probably go with two of my favorite friends who are also two of my literary idols -- Patricia McCormick or Jaclyn Moriarty.
This past fall I moved back to Manhattan after a year in Los Angeles, and in the laidback yoga/hiking/cappucinos lifestyle I enjoyed in LA, I forgot how much NYC is all about the go-go-go. It's been fun-fun-fun reacclimating to the pace here, but I'm afraid I haven't found much time lately for site updates and such. But today was a nice snowy day (yay, real weather again!), giving me a good opportunity to get around to posting an update on what's been going on.
The most exciting thing to happen is that I moved back to NYC just in time to watch the filming of the Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist movie! The movie was shot over the last month and a half at some extremely hip locations (and not-so-hip -- hello, Port Authority Bus Terminal and Gray's Papaya!), particularly several very cool music venues, and David and I had several opportunities to watch the filming, meet the cast and crew, and just kind of sit there in awe as these characters from inside our heads were beautifully brought to life.
Here are photos of some of the highlights for me:
Yugo!
Lovely Kat Dennings as Norah showing me her Salvatore jacket
The director chairs -- proof the movie really was in progress
Randomly coming out of the subway and seeing this notification of street closing for filming
I have to say, watching the movie film was one of the most satisfying experiences I've ever had as an author. Not just because the movie was made at all (which is a miracle in and out itself), but because all the pieces seemed to come together so beautifully. The director, Peter Sollett, and all of the production crew put so much love, care, enthusiasm and hard work into bringing this story to screen, and the results I witnessed were fantastic. A few things change in the transition from book to movie -- for instance, Nick & Norah's friends have bigger stories in the movie, and the places where they go throughout their night change -- but the heart of the characterizations came through wonderfully. I think the hardest part of an adaptation from book to movie is translating the spirit and tone, but the screenwriter, Lorene Scafaria, did an excellent job accomplishing that most difficult task, in my opinion. I couldn't have more confidence and faith that the movie, while different in some respects from the book, is very much the same heart and soul as the book. As for the actors...GREAT! I'll admit that many of them, when I initially met them, didn't appear to me the way I pictured the characters in the book (isn't that always the case, though?), but when I saw each of them perform, they were exactly right...it was truly thrilling to watch. There's almost too much to say about how great and funny and true I thought each of the actors was, so I'll leave it at a simple WOW for the time being. I really believe there's going to be an excellent movie to look forward to.
As of now, the release for the movie is tentatively set for October 2008. Til then, I will be pondering long and hard what to wear to the premiere, of course! Meantime, David and I are practicing our party faces...here we are in a photo booth picture from the movie wrap party:
And, my sister Anna got in on the photo booth action, too:
The other highlight of my last month was a visit to New York from Sydney, Australia by my much adored and admired author friend Jaclyn Moriarty. We enjoyed much walking and talking throughout the city, and I had the privilege of not only introducing Jaci to my favorite cupcake shop in NYC, but I'm also proud to have captured the moment when I got her awesome toddler son Charlie to say his first utterance of the sacred word "cupcake." Here's the moment, but I must in the interest of full and fair disclosure note that I was only trying to figure out how to even use my digital camera, and inadvertently did so while Jaci was in an unauthorized-to-document moment of cupcake-chewing. (Thankfully, she has now authorized me to post the moment -- thanks, Jaci!)
That's all the news for now. Please post your comments and questions and I will do my best to respond, and I promise to check back in soon with news about my next book, You Know Where to Find Me, coming out next March.
So the amazing news can now be shared: Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist is really and truly going to be a movie! Filming starts next month in Manhattan (yay!), and Michael Cera will be playing Nick, and Kat Dennings will be playing Norah. There is an incredible, incredible director helming the production named Peter Sollett. He and his partner Eva Vives made a beautiful coming-of-age teenage romance movie, also set in lower Manhattan, called Raising Victor Vargas, that I couldn't recommend highly enough to you. All the people involved in the production are just top notch, so even though, yes, we all know that movie adaptations can suck, I've read the script (which is EXCELLENT, and very faithful to the tone and spirit of the book), and I couldn't have more confidence that the movie will be an excellent representation of the book -- and a just plain awesome movie. While we have no input whatsoever in casting, we (and I think I can safely speak for David too here) couldn't be happier with the casting choices. And I've become a super big fan of Kat Dennings' video blog and the Clark and Michael webisodes. Oh yeah, and I've seen Superbad three times already...and plan to see it many more. So that's the update for now. I'll post more information once filming gets underway. WOW! Thrilled and elated, Rachel
Naomi & Ely's No Kiss List is officially released today! And Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist is officially out in paperback today! To commemorate the occasion, David and I interviewed each other about Naomi & Ely, and Nick & Norah, and The Golden Girls, and other topics... Hope you enjoy! :)Rachel
---------- DAVID:I think we should address the rumors first.Is it true that Naomi & Ely's No Kiss List is based on an episode of Falcon Crest?
RACHEL:Actually, it's based on a lost episode of The Golden Girls.Only younger, hotter, and gayer.Now tell me, David:When we start doing our street theater performances of The Golden Girlsmeets Naomi & Ely, who do you want to play?(I call Sophia.)
DAVID:I've actually given this much thought.And I want to play all of Blanche's ex-husbands.
Now, if Naomi & Ely's No Kiss List had a theme song over the opening credits, what would it be?
RACHEL:My choice is old school honky-tonk, of course.On my Naomi & Ely playlist, "their" song is "Your Place Is Here with Me" by Charlie Rich, for its soulful sense of love and co-dependency.Could you please tell me what yours would be (hopefully by an artist born after 1980 or so)?
DAVID:I will confess that at first it was hard to exorcise the demon that is Hall & Oates's "Kiss on My List" whenever talking about this book.But honestly, I'd probably pick something from Tegan & Sara – probably "Living Room".Strange to pick a band of twin lesbian sisters for a novel about a gay guy and a straight girl.But no matter.Why don't we have any lesbians in our book?
RACHEL:We do have lesbians in our book!Represent!And we've got two Bruces, and two Robins, and a hot doorman, and a club bouncer who lets Ely show his...nevermind.And can I just say, I know you'll be brilliant as Blanche's ex-husbands, but I really saw you as Dorothy.Speaking of which, how come you haven't written a lesbian comic novel yet?Because I am waiting and hoping for it from you, and if you don't write it soon, I may just have to come out of retirement and write it myself.(Please don't make me go back to work.)
DAVID:It's just too typical for a gay guy to be "Dorothy."And you're right -- we do have lesbians in our book.They're just Lesbians of a Certain Age.
I guess this is why I write teen books -- I forget about adult characters.
As for lesbians in my novels -- well, "Miss Lucy Had a Steamboat", a long story in my next book, How They Met, and other stories, could very well become a novel at some point.It's astonishing to me that the ration of gay teen novels to lesbian teen novels is so lopsided.Someone's got to help Julie Ann Peters.You should definitely come out of retirement to do it.Pleeeeeease.
Now, because you know we're going to be asked, where did the spark of an idea for Naomi & Ely come from?
RACHEL:Well, we just had too much fun writing Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, and I was keen for us to try writing our own take on a Will & Grace-type relationship, only with real and raw feelings, and without all the usual stereotypes.Then one night you told me about a "No Kiss List" that you and your friend Nick (aka "Real Nick," to distinguish him from our character Nick) had, a list involving a name of guys you both know that neither of you was allowed to kiss.And almost immediately after, when I sat down to write the first chapter of our second book (since you wrote the first chapter of Nick & Norah), I kept thinking about the "No Kiss List" and I e-mailed you if it would be okay for me to incorporate the idea into my first chapter and you said yes, and we were off from there.Since you wrote the second chapter, can you tell me:Why do you think Bruce the Second thinks of himself as a boring guy?I mean, he's dating this hot Naomi girl, then he kisses her best friend Ely...for a boring guy, he's getting a lot of action.I think this guy might have more charisma than he lets on?
And for the record, I don't mind playing to type as cranky old lady Sophia, so I don't see why you couldn't be Dorothy.
DAVID:I always liked the Betty White character the most.Even if I'm blanking on her name.Which loses me gay cred, big time.But I am guessing that writing books like Boy Meets Boy and Naomi & Ely gives me some gay cred in the bank.
Speaking of gay cred . . . I think Bruce the Second definitely doesn't know what he's got going.Which is part of his charm.While Ely and Naomi know exactly how hot they are (not without insecurities, of course), Bruce has no clue that he could be attractive.Which makes him roughly in line with 94% of the general population.
One of the most flattering things I'm hearing in people's response to Naomi & Ely is that they're completely confused about which chapters you wrote and which ones I wrote.I didn't know how much chaos not having chapter numbers would cause.But I love that it's so hard to tell.So now, be honest...which of my chapters is your favorite?
RACHEL:I think you already know my favorite of yours is the Robin "Friends" chapter.(But don't expect another birthday present from me to you in tribute of that chapter.)If I ever get irritated with you (of course that never happens, but *hypothetically*), all I have to do is read that hilarious and disturbingly beautiful monologue to remind me how great you are.What chapter of mine do you think of when you're *hypothetically* irritated with me and need to remember how great I am?
Betty White was Rose!Your gay card is so revoked.Honestly, I'm embarrassed for you.
DAVID:The funny thing is, the minute I hit send, my mind went "ROSE!"My gay card is in the mail to you.You'll know the envelope, because it'll be singing showtunes.
Although my heart was full of Rachelness when Mrs. Loy started speaking British slang and when girl-Robin started speaking Schenectady, I think Gabriel's first mix chapter is the one that made me think "damn, that's beautiful" the most.And not just because you name-checked Kirsty MacColl.
I actually haven't told you this -- just a week or two ago, a reader from the UK emailed me and asked me if I'd ever listened to Kirsty MacColl.I was so excited to say yes! and we included her in our latest book!(Note to readers:go download some Kirsty MacColl."You and Me Baby" if you want to start desolate, "A New England" if you want to be galvanized, "Caroline" if you want some fun.)Yes, if we can get one new person to listen to Kirsty MacColl, I will consider our job done.
Meanwhile, I want to go back to something you said earlier, about Naomi & Ely being the anti-Will & Grace.I think it's an important distinction to make, because I think one of the big pitfalls about doing a book about a straight girl and gay boy who are friends is that the inevitable Will & Grace comparisons come up.I also love that Naomi is not a stereotypical "fag hag" -- which is a characterization that I think gets thrown around much too easily nowadays.So I can think of plenty of things that inspired us to act against them in writing the book.But what were the books/movies/shows that inspired you in a positive direction?(I wouldn't have been able to articulate it as such, but I feel we were trying to do a Billy Wilder comedy, only with teens and set now.)
RACHEL:Exactly!On the Naomi thing, and the Billy Wilder feeling.(Folks, IMDB him to find out some of the amazing movies he made.)I don't know if I had specific inspirations/influences when writing Naomi & Ely other than wanting to explore natural feelings within a loving but difficult relationship -- kind of like you'd see in some of those old John Hughes/Molly Ringwald movies.I think Adults of a Certain Age forget that teenagers have very real, contradictory feelings about the important people in their lives, and truly complicated relationships with each other, and that's something I hope the characters in Naomi & Ely's No Kiss List really explore.Plus, I really hate the "fag hag" stereotype and wanted Naomi to serve as a contradiction to that image.
And a bonus prize to the first reader who writes to us to tell us the Kirsty MacColl songs they've discovered as a result of reading our book. ;>
I forgot to tell you that a lot of people have also commented to me that they can't tell which of us wrote which chapter.(Do you think that's because we're confused, or we've just gotten that wordily mind-merged at this point?)So yes, to clarify, we did alternate writing chapters again, but we wrote from the perspectives of several characters besides Naomi & Ely.We knew we couldn't replicate the feelings and energy of Nick & Norah, so we took a different direction instead.How do you feel about it when our second book gets compared so often to our first, without taking into account that they're two ENTIRELY DIFFERENT BOOKS?!?!?
DAVID:Well, one of my least favorite questions is "Which of your books do you like best?"It's such a ridiculous question.I guess it's natural for people to compare the books, and I think different people will like different books more.Nick & Norah had such a charmed life that Naomi & Ely was bound to live somewhat in its shadow.But really, when people are reading the book, hopefully they're in that book alone.That's what matters.
I do have to say, though, it's pretty funny that we stumbled into writing another book with the word "list" in the title – when we started writing about the No Kiss List, I didn't make any connection whatsoever to "Infinite Playlist."Clearly, we will be writing a romantic comedy about a grocery list before long.
Here's the thing:I love N&N, and I love N&E.So I don't see why readers can't love 'em both, too.So which one do YOU like better?
Just kidding.Which of the characters in N&E did you find the hardest to write?
RACHEL:Ely was the hardest for me to write, because I was feeling Naomi's side of everything much more than his, and I naturally gravitated toward her "bitch tirade" voice anyway.It's funny because in lots of ways the two lead characters were both the hardest to write, because as much as I loved them, they're so wrapped up in their own self-absorption in the beginning, but unwrapping them out of that as the book spooled through was really fun.I think they both come into their own quite nicely as the book progresses.But I did very much enjoy writing the side characters' points-of-view on all things Naomi & Ely.What about you?Which was the hardest to write?(I'll note you lapsed into Naomi tirade mode almost too easily!)And what the f*&! do you have you have to say to all those who complain about the, er, "edgy" content in our books?
DAVID:I should've known this question would ricochet back my way!The obvious answer would be Naomi – but the truth is that the one time I took it from Naomi's point of view, she was so incredibly angry that it was really, really easy to write.I just rode that anger and frustration and sadness.(And list form always helps, of course.)Instead, I'm going to say Gabriel, because he's the one I stayed the furthest away from. In many ways, Naomi was easier because I had spent so much time watching her through Ely's and Bruce II's eyes.Whereas Gabriel, especially, remained a mystery to all of the characters but Naomi, so I never got that close to figuring him out.
As for the "content" question – I think we use language and show things in our books because they are real to the characters and real to the story, and it's somewhat insulting to treat our word choice as if it was any less deliberate than that of authors who stay "safe."For example:There is a huge difference between saying "I'm so mad" and "I'm so frickin' mad" and "I'm so fucking mad" – there is a different meaning behind each of the phrases, and if you shy away from using the word "fucking" you can't get to the truth of the statement.Because the character isn't mad, he's fucking mad.There's a difference.
That said, I think the language in Nick & Norah is different from Naomi & Ely, because the characters who are speaking are very different.And, yes, Naomi and Ely start out self-absorbed (in a way that "self-absorbed" is defined as "absorbed in each other as well.")But in many ways I feel what they have to do is much, much harder than what Nick and Norah have to do.Nick and Norah, god bless 'em, are aware of their insecurities and vulnerabilities from the get-go.Whereas Naomi and Ely start off trying to deny the things that are wrong, and end up having to face them.
Do you ever think of the characters we've written together in terms of the characters in your solo books?Do you ever wonder what would happen if Norah and Naomi met up with Cyd Charisse?
RACHEL:Oh, thank you so fucking much for answering the language issue so much better than I could have.Sometimes when I hear complaints about the language in Nick & Norah, I think, "Did you actually READ the book?"Because Nick and Norah are as clean-living and full of life and heart as you could hope for, and if they say fuck a lot, that's absolutely about the passion and energy of that one particular night they share together – I don't think they go home and talk to their mothers that way!They are good kids; they know the difference.
And yes, I do sometimes think of my characters talking to each other!Usually it's Norah and Cyd Charisse trying to get over their own cool and see if they like each other.Then sometimes Norah is talking to Infinite Darlene, or CC getting some gospel on with my beloved Gail from Realm of Possibility…and the possibilities go on and on.
When you're actively working on a story, do you ever find yourself in constant dialogue with your characters, even when you're supposed to be conversing with real people?And kind of swatting your characters away, like, "Shut up, I'm trying to maintain in the physical world."Then, "Wait, come back, you had something important to say!"Or is this just my own personal writing dementia?
DAVID:Oh, I don't think you're alone in that dementia.I think different authors interact with their stories in different ways, and I know many who share your symptoms.Not to get all high-fallutin' on you, but one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies is the part inThe Hours when Virginia Woolf's sister explained to her children that Aunt Ginny is lucky, because she always exists in two places: the world and the novel she's writing.When I'm writing, when it's really working, I'm in a zone, where most of my thoughts are in terms of the writing.It's not necessarily that I'm thinking the characters are real, and I don't converse with them, but it's as if I've set my mind to think about the story and not about life, so the sentences that come are ones to do with the story, not to do about life.I'll get up from this computer, walk around my apartment, maybe even make it to the store – but I can feel the creative synapses working to connect, and when a connection is made, I will run back to my computer and resume.The characters never, ever talk to me.Instead they appear to me.What they do, or how they feel, or where they are.I just suddenly know these things.I don't even see them – the word "appear" probably is misleading, because I'm very bad at picturing what (or who) I write.They all exist as words, and the words make sense to me.
(It's the problem of when someone asks you why you chose to do a certain thing in the book, and there's really no answer.Why does Bruce the Second chew Orbit?I don't know.It's just that when I was writing that particular sentence, it made sense that he chewed Orbit, and that's what I wrote down.Does the fact that I choose Orbit influence that?Sure.But, you know, I do many things, but I only chose certain ones for Bruce the Second.)
Ah, what a long answer that was.
Because we flipped the order for N&E, so you started it and I ended it, whereas it was the opposite for N&N, let me ask this… which did you find harder:writing the first chapter or writing the last chapter?
RACHEL:I found it much harder to write the first rather than last chapter for the exact reason you just described.Stories and characters don't so much "appear" to me as voices feel like they come fully alive in my head, and everything I want to observe is through that voice's spectrum.When it happens, when I truly get into that zone, it's a furious rush for my hands to type as fast as the words want to come out.But the voices aren't instantaneous; they usually start as a whisper, a speck of an idea, and as I get deeper into the stories and truly discover the voices, the whisper feels like it becomes a mad but wonderful scream.Which is why first chapters are hardest for me, and are the ones I usually have to revise the most.When I'm writing first drafts, it's not usually until the fourth or fifth chapter that I start to really understand the voice and can truly hear it.But by the end chapters, sometimes I feel the book could write itself, if only I can type fast enough.Although the exception for me would be Nick & Norah.You delivered me a first Nick chapter that was so enticing, I couldn't NOT respond as Norah right away.It was like she was shoving me aside to answer that Nick guy.But with Naomi, she resisted.She only wanted to speak in symbols.What could I do?
Authors get asked about sequels all the time.I don't think we could write a Naomi & Ely sequel, if only because we ran out of symbols, and we'd have to learn hieroglyphics or something to take Naomi to a new level, and the book designers would really hate us then.I have written a few sequels to my own books, though, while you've chosen not to.But I wonder if you've ever been tempted with Nick & Norah?If only because they only had that one night.(Mind you, I'm not suggesting we write a sequel.I think we're in agreement it's better left to all our imaginations to speculate on what happens next after Nick & Norah jump that subway turnstile.But I will confess that their voices are still very present in my head!I can hear them commenting on different movies I see, songs I hear, bantering with each other…)And is there any one particular book you wish there was a sequel for – or that you find yourself writing one in your head?Don't say Gone with the Wind, it's been done.
DAVID:Well, you know I'm dying to read the third book in Virginia Euwer Wolff's Make Lemonade trilogy.But as far as a sequel to a book that probably won't get a sequel… isn't it funny, but there's nothing that immediately pops to mind.Or the books that do pop to mind are more for the "I wonder how they would do it" reason, not the "I love this character so much I have to stay with him/her reason."If Salinger decided to bring back Holden Caulfield, would I buy it?Sure.Just to see how he'd messed up his main character.But do I want to see Scout grow up, or return to the record show in High Fidelity?Not really.This is one of our big differences, isn't it?When the story is over for me, the story is over.For any of my books, a tangent might be interesting – for the longest time, I genuinely though our book after Nick & Norah was going to follow T(h)om and Caroline on the same night.But for Nick and Norah themselves… they have their night, and I want that to be theirs.I do love that they're still talking to you, though.And I will definitely have moments when I'm walking in the EastVillage and I think, "Oh, look, there's Nick."Or, "That's SUCH a Tris outfit."Same thing with Naomi and Ely and the Bruces and the Robins – they've definitely become a part of how I see the world.Even if we disagree about endings, I think we're in agreement about durings, and how if a book works the way it should, it informs the author as much as the author informs it.
Any last words?I started, so you get to end.
RACHEL:You had to know this was coming.David, where did we meet?
DAVID:Are you sure you want me to share this in public?Oh, okay.I was driving all alone down the interstate, and then what do I see?This broad pulling up her nylons and sticking her gam out, needing a ride.I nearly swerved off the road.But luckily I stayed on the pavement.And that is how we met.When people ask, I just tell them it happened one night….
I don't know how I've ever gotten any books written, because I will seriously do anything just to not write. It's called the Great Act of Procrastination, and at this point, I'd like to think I am expert at it. My writing time was better organized when I had a regular job and had to squeeze in any precious moment of writing time, before writing became my job. I dreamed that this would be my job, but once it was, I never adapted to figuring out what to do with myself in this new era determined entirely by my self-motivation (or lack thereof). Here are some of the things I typically do to put off writing as long as possible: 1. Clean. I am crazy for Clorox -- sometime just ask to see collection of bleach-splattered shirts (aka the "Pride Collection"). I can't possibly write if my bathroom needs to be Cloroxed, floors and rugs need a spin with the Eureka (I used to have an Electrolux, as any crazy for clean person prefers, but lost it many moves ago), or if every surface in my kitchen needs a spray of 409. 2. Think long and hard about the differences between the Eureka and Electrolux. Flirt with the idea of going Miele. Research online. 3. Laundry! Of course, laundry. I am partial to Dreft detergent and Downy dryer shirts. Am considering switching over to Seventh Generation detergent because it's more environmentally kosher, and also they make one with a nice lavender smell. Browse various stores to see which ones carry anticipated new detergent (can't get emotionally attached to it until I am assured it will be readily available at all times). 4. Hair. One time, I flew all the way from NYC to San Francisco to get my hair highlighted. It was a freaking overnight trip (I used frequent flyer miles so it was a pretty cheap one, but still). When I was miserable as the plane flew turbulence on the way home, I thought to myself, Okay, Rachel, you've really gone too far this time. You will do ANYTHING not to write. 5. Hair products. Some days I want detangler, some days I want to go curly. How can I write if I am not stocked with exactly the right products for any hair occasion? 6. Hey Google, eff U. I'd probably have written about a million more books if you weren't around for me to lose all my time to researching a trip to Scotland or Australia or wherever, or finding an egg salad recipe, or blog-searching and then keeping mental inventory of every mean comment ever posted about one of my books, or trying to track down a perfume I liked in 1988 that's no longer made, or looking up curse words in foreign languages, etc. Google, one day I might have to sue U for mental distress and loss of income. 7. Netflix. I've finally watched pretty much everything in the top tiers of my Queue. Which has left me with the Eh pile of movies to watch. Yesterday I watched Velvet Goldmine. Okay, Ewan McGregor and Jonathan Rhys-Myers making out is totally hot, but the movie still made no sense, and I'd like those two hours of my life back, please. 8. MySpace. 'Nuff said. This evening I uploaded photos to a new album on my MySpace. Please check 'em out. Finding and uploading them cost me a fine few hours procrastination time. This past weekend, I'd finally gone through all my Great Acts of Procrastination (including scrubbing all the floors in my apartment with Murphy Oil Soap which took for-freaking-ever but oh-how-they-glowed) in anticipation of finally getting back to writing this week, and on Monday I woke up...sick. Fever, cough, cold, nothing tragic, just annoying. But surely I can't write through it! It's like my body is now in partnership with my mind to ensure I don't write. Cuz being sick means eating Doritos and reading trashy magazines and not writing. So now I feel sick, and gross. Every day, I wake up and think, today will be the day to start writing again. And then, every day, well...you know. Til I get back up on the horse, I'm hoping you'll share your Great Acts of Procrastination, then maybe I can try those too. Cuz even Google is getting kinda boring. Laters, Rachel
Alright, I admit that I not much of a blogger. I really, really don't have that much to say. So I am very grateful to all of you who answered my call for questions so that I'd have an actual blog update to post! Here's what's going on, what's on my mind and on your minds...enjoy, and please keep the questions and comments coming in! :)))Rachel
Q:1.) What are you working on now, book wise? 2.) Do you think Gingerbread will ever be made into a movie? 3.) Where is your favorite place in the world to be?
A:1.) I am not working on anything right now, book-wise.I have lots of ideas about what I'd like to work on next, but I also feel like I need a little timeout before I set out on my next project.So lately I've been on a campaign to do absolutely Nothing, and succeeding quite well at it, if I say so myself. Mostly this has involved doing some traveling, visiting with friends and family, trying to get into yoga (I'm terrible at it, but love it mucho), and obsessing over repeated viewings of The Wire.2.)I doubt a movie situation for Gingerbread will happen anytime soon.3.)My favorite places in the world (at least, of the places I've been so far) are pretty much any great café that involves hanging out with friends or family in Manhattan, San Francisco, Edinburgh, London or Sydney.I recently came back from a trip to Australia, where I hung out with a wonderful friend in Sydney, Jaclyn Moriarty, who is the author of some of my absolute favorite books in the world, Feeling Sorry for Celia and The Year of Secret Assignments.She has a new book coming out this fall called The Spell Book of Listen Taylor and I honestly think it might be one of the loveliest books I've EVER read!
Q:Can you tell us a little more about Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List?
A:David and I strongly felt we couldn't recreate the same story or energy of Nick & Norah, so we took a different approach to a second novel.Naomi & Ely is again formatted in back-and-forth chapters that we alternated writing, but it's told from several narrators' points-of-view, and covers a broader period of time than Nick & Norah.It's again about how a girl and boy connect, but this time about the romance (and hardship) of deep and lasting friendship that's not a physical relationship, but is equally as complicated.It's our take on the straight girl-gay guy friendship/connection/myth.
Q:What are you looking forward to doing this summer? Favorite summer food? (especially dessert) Where do you like to shop online? What's the best summer vacation you've ever had? Do you have any cool hidden talents?
A:Mostly, I am looking forward to spending the summer by the pool and not worrying about having a manuscript due on August 1, which I have had for the last several years!My favorite food transcends across seasons – chocolate – but in summertime, I particularly like any dessert that involves fresh berries.For online shopping, I am big into zappos.com, Nordstrom.com, ladyfootlocker.com (if I could dress like Sporty Spice every day, I would), and overstock.com – not a very exciting list, I know!My most recent summer favorite vacation was in 2004, when I was hanging out in North Berkeley, CA, and writing Nick & Norah with this guy back in New York whom I only kinda knew at that point, but was just having sooo much fun with via exchange of e-mail chapters.Cool hidden talents:I can raise one eyebrow (learned this by staring at pictures of Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara when I was a teenager); I can balance a yardstick on my finger for long periods of time (learned from my awesome first grade teacher – thanks, Mr. Haslinger!); and because I desperately wanted to be a majorette when I was in elementary school (it never happened), I'm not a bad baton-twirler.
Q:Are you currently working on a new novel right now, or is there one that's already in the process of being published after Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List, and can you tell us a little sneak peek of what's to come?
A:I have one more book in the queue after Naomi & Ely, and it may be the last one from me for a while.It's coming out in late February 2008 and it's called You Know Where to Find Me. Because of the title, sometimes I joke that it's my slasher horror novel, but it's anything but…it's the hardest book I ever wrote, and took me much, much longer to write than any previous novel because it deals with some very tough feelings and situations.I think it's my best book, but it's a sad book, too.Sad, but also tender and funny too, hopefully.It's about a seventeen year old girl named Miles whose cousin Laura, the closest person to her, commits suicide, and about how Miles has to cope with the aftermath of that loss, and come to terms with the situations and people in her own life.Here's the cover which I love very much and feel really captures the essence of the book.
Q:My friend and I are busy working on a piece together. So my question is when all is said and done and we finally put the final touches on it, what would be the best way to see about getting it published? What can we do to prepare ourselves?
A:There are so many ways to go about learning about how to get published and all that it entails, so I usually recommend that you either buy or request from your library a copy of the most recent edition of a book called Writer's Market.It's a comprehensive directory of publishers, updated annually, which describes some of the steps to take toward finding and contacting publishers.The best way to prepare yourself is to write the best possible manuscript you can, give it to readers you trust for their suggestions (since it's hard to see what might need work when reviewing your own writing that you've been working on for a long time), then revise and polish, revise and polish more, and then learn how to write the a professional and polished query letter to the publishers and agents whom your careful and extensive research has determined would be appropriate for your work.Good luck!
Q:What is David Levithan like?
A:Busy.Gives good karaoke.
Q:How Did You Know You Wanted to Write Books? Was It Just.. "Oh.. I Always Wanted To.." Or One Day You Had The Inspiration...?
A:Sort of both.From the time I learned to read, I knew I wanted to write, and indeed I passed many of my high school days writing stories for friends when I was supposed to be paying attention to class.Then, yeah, a few years after I'd finished college (where I studied Political Science, and not English or Creative Writing), one day I just decided I didn't want writing novels to be something I thought about doing, but something I did.People often tell me the hardest part for them is getting started; they have lots of ideas but when they sit down to write, but they don't know what to do.I like to think of writing as a muscle – the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets.Don't be afraid just to start, and don't feel discouraged if what comes out when you first begin isn't what you'd imagined it would be.Writing takes time, patience, and keeping at it.I always recommend you start by setting small goals, such as writing short vignettes or a few pages or a single chapter, but don't think about the larger task of writing a whole book – it can feel overwhelming when you're first starting out.Try smaller tasks at first, and eventually, with time, patience, persistence and practice, those smaller tasks will equal a larger whole – and a strong writing muscle for you, and maybe a book!
Q:I just finished Nick & Norah…LOVED IT! I just had to say, great work. Couldn't put it down. I can't wait to read the rest of your work. I wish you would write a second one! I wanna see what happens with the two of them!
A:I totally appreciate and thank everyone who writes to me wishing for more Nick & Norah.But as much as I love the characters and wouldn't at all mind exploring what might happen next with them, I also really love the ending of the book, and think it's better left to all our imaginations to decide what happens next.That way everyone gets the story they want!But I admit that three years after finishing the book, I am still thinking about the characters all the time…
Q:1] is there any more news on a movie of Nick & Norah?&&2] if i have poems that i would like to get published who are some people i can contact?
A:1]There is an excellent, completed script and an amazing director attached to the project and we're hoping a movie might go into production in the next year or so, but there's nothing definite yet.If it happens, I'll be sure to post an update.2]I suggest getting a copy of the book Poets Market.
Q:1. Any possible release dates for CUPCAKE and your collaborations with David Levithan in Australia? 2. Noting the Aussification of THE STEPS and TWO STEPS FORWARD... what's your own personal connection to Oz?
A:There's no plan for Cupcake to be released in Oz, but Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist was just released there by Allen & Unwin.My own personal connection to the place is that I lived in Melbourne, Australia for a few months in 1998, staying with an Aussie friend whom I'd met in a writing group in San Francisco; she and her family had moved back to Melbourne and she'd just had her third child.So I went over to explore the place and to try being a temporary Mary Poppins.(My greatest accomplishment was teaching the two older children, Jack and Nell, who were five and two at the time, to sing That's the way, uh-huh uh-huh, I like it on command, and to raise their fists and greet me at the morning breakfast table by saying, "Power to the people!")Many of the members of the Melbourne family served as namesakes for several characters in the Steps books (Lucy, Annabel, Jack, Nell and Ben).And as noted above, I recently visited Down Under again, had a fabulous time, and can't wait to go back again soon and see my friends there, and to stock up again on Tim Tams!(Loving the Qantas in-flight entertainment system, too.So key.)
Q:What is one thing you wish you'd said in the gingerbread trilogy that you didn't get to say?
A:Gosh, I think there are so many storylines I would have liked to explore more, but I didn't want the books to get too long-winded.In particular, I wish I could explored more about Sugar Pie, and CC's relationship with her bio-dad Frank.Also, who the hell was her dentist she had such a crush on?
Q:How did you and DL write each other's characters so well in N&N? I still don't get that. They were practically interchangeable.
A:It's a frustrating answer, because I think it all comes down to the luck of good chemistry and not to any specific formula.We didn't know one another that well when we started to write the book, but there was an implicit trust between us from the very beginning, and the more we wrote, the more we learned that we shared similar sensibilities, and I think our shared instincts allowed us to write the same characters smoothly.I seriously doubt I could have produced the same effect with any other writer.You know that line at the end of the book where Norah says, "I mean, I'm a pain the ass.I know this.It's like Nick has no idea what he's setting himself up for."Maybe I was projecting a bit there.
Q:Have we heard the last of Shrimp/Phil and C.C?
A:YES.I am so grateful to everyone who writes to me asking for more of these books, but they were never intended as a series to begin with; I just wrote two more books when CC's voice kept coming alive to me.And to be honest, she's grown up now, and although I love her very much and all the people in her world, it's not in the way where I want to write another book about them.It's very hard and scary trying to meet readers' expectations of what should happen with characters from earlier books, and I think at this point I'd prefer to explore new characters and ideas.But I always say to those asking for another book (and this applies to Nick & Norah as well), please do continue the stories on your own.That's what fan fiction is for!Write on…and seriously, thank you so much for your enthusiasm for the books!
Currently
reading
:
Fourth Comings: A Novel
By
Megan Mccafferty
Release date: 07 August, 2007
If you're interested in learning more about serving LGBTQ teens in your libraries, I hope you'll check out my friends Jack and James' excellent resource book, Serving Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Teens: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians. (Many of you may already be familiar with Jack through YALSA or through his role coordinating Young Adult Services for the NY Public Library system. He's also one of the dedicated folks behind the NYPL's annual Books for the Teen Age list.)
From the book description: In our shared efforts to serve every member of our YA community, this new title is an important addition to your professional collection. This innovative guide will help you make informed collection, service, and programming decisions about materials for the growing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) YA population. The authors provide an overview of LGBTQ literature, address concerns for serving these patrons, and help guide you and your colleagues through the benefits and challenges of collecting materials. This breakthrough new publication offers: An A-Z annotated guide to 50+ fiction, non-fiction, and multimedia works 30+ ready-to-use programming ideas and booktalks that will help you welcome and provide a more inclusive environment for all teens Tips and suggestions for handling challenging situations placement of books, patron privacy, handling parents questions, and more.
Rachel
