I'm Already Bored With This

Page Burners: Sex and the teenage girl in Newsday is more (see March 13th post) on the moral fiber--or lack thereof--in series teen books like The Gossip Girls, The A-List, ya-da, ya-da.

It's interesting the way mainstream press is so interested in controversy in YA. Remember how much press Welcome to Lizard Motel received? And that was just about whether or not the educational establishment was pushing depressing books.

I still have some of these Gossip Girl-type novels waiting for me upstairs. I have a hard time getting excited about reading them. Especially when I hear them described as "'Sex and the City' for teens," as they are in the Newsday article. I have never been able to sit through an entire episode of Sex and the City. I just want to shake those women and say, "Would you please get a life?"

Thanks to Blog of a Bookslut for the link.

In The Planning Stages

May 18th is publication day for my new book, Happy Kid!

People who don't write think publication days are big events, like weddings or royal christenings. Publication days are extremely run-of-the-mill. The books are available for sale that day, but that has absolutely no impact on the authors' lives. Our publication days are not big news, very small potatoes as far as the rest of the world is concerned. Nothing happens. In all likelihood, if we go into bookstores on the big day most of us won't even find our books there. Particularly if you're a children's writer. Most bookstores carry only hardcovers from big name children's authors.

I still have to make dinner on publication days. I may have forgotten some of them were happening. I wouldn't be surprised if I cleaned a few toilets or did some vacuuming on publication days.

So this afternoon I suddenly had this idea to mark the day. A contest. Some lucky people will win autographed copies of Happy Kid! on May 18th so that my publication day will be noteworthy for them, at least.

Details will follow.