jenny han

Did you miss me, even a little bit?

2009-10-17T03:41:14Z

I've been gone a long time. I'm so sorry! But I haven't been gallivanting around (well, maybe a little gallivanting), I've been hard at work on two books, both due out next year, 2010.

A couple of weeks ago, I finally finally handed in my revision of IT'S NOT SUMMER WITHOUT YOU. I might do one more "polish" round, but after that, methinks this book is DONZO! It's pretty much all I've thought about for the past year, and you know what, I won't miss it one bit. I mean, I love it, but we need a break, a nice long break from each other. When we see each other again (in oh, two weeks?), it'll be Oh baby, I missed you. But for now, it's Peace out and good riddance, never darken my door again.

And today, at 4:55pm, I handed in chapter book revision to my editor at Little, Brown. I've been working on this book for 2-3 years now. Well, actually longer because it's a project I started in college. So I've been working and reworking this draft for FOREVER, and last week, after much thought, I decided to pretty much change the whole thing. I started from near scratch. Not total scratch, a few scenes survived, but the bones of it were brand bony new. At first I was scared, but once I got going, it just felt right. Hopefully my editor agrees! I'm so excited, I cannot wait for the illustrations! The illustrator is someone super-special. I've been a fan of hers for a few years now, and I even have one of her pieces framed and hanging up in my apartment. I will tell you who she is as soon as my editor gives me the green light!

In other news, I met Ryan Gosling last night! I'm still all fluttery inside thinking about it. My BFFF and I went to see his band, Dead Man's Bones play, and when it was over, we snuck downstairs and got a picture. He's super talented and also super HOT. Like, white hot. For those of you who've been paying attention, Ry-Gos is in my top 5-- at the top, actually. I leave you with this, friends.

this rain is making me sleepy...

2009-07-30T02:17:36Z

Raise your hand if you can't believe it's already the end of July! The end of July = end of summer, practically. I've had a busy July so far-- I just got back from Virginia and North Carolina-- I went to a couple of weddings, did a couple of book signings. It's good to be back in NYC, but I do miss home. When I am in Richmond, I ride around with my sister and go to Target and the mall, and I walk my dog Jack, and I eat fried chicken and yellow cake. I can't do any of those things here in NYC. I could eat yellow cake, but it's not the same. Here in NYC, I order Vietnamese sandwiches from Nicky's and bubble tea. I eat sushi twice a day. I meet friends for writing dates.

Speaking of writing-- I took a mini-break while I was at home, but now I am back to work on my revision for Pretty 2. But I do have good news to share. I finally, finally have a title! It's been soooo hard coming up with a good title for this sequel. But at last, I have one that I actually like! It will be called, IT'S NOT SUMMER WITHOUT YOU. I hope you like it too!

xoxo

It's Saturday night but it feels like Sunday night

2009-07-11T23:46:58Z

I've been having that Sunday night feeling for the past couple of weeks. You know, that feeling of dread because even though it's technically still the weekend, you have a ton of homework for Monday that you haven't even started on yet? It's like, you can only 20% enjoy Sunday because of that feeling. Pit of your stomach dread.

I've been on summer vacation, and I've done some fun stuff. I went to my friend C's house in the Hamptons, and it was actually supposed to be a writing retreat. While I didn't get a ton of physical writing done, I sure thought about stuff a lot and got ideas. While I was tanning, or in the pool, or eating blueberry pie. Hmm, I should put a farmstand in the new book! My little sister came to visit last week, and that was fun too. We went to see Our Town and it was AMAZING. If you have the opportunity to go, I urge you to see for yourself. It really did feel like life.

I also went to Atlantic City for a quick trip to "write by the pool" and also eat at the Borgata buffet. You know what I realized? I hate buffets. It's just so wasteful and it makes me feel gross and glutinous. And the food is never as good. The exception to this rule is probably the dessert buffet at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond. That's gross and glutinous in the best way possible! Anyway I lost a few bucks at the blackjack table (not much, mind you but still enough to get my goat) but we went dancing one night and DJ AM was the headlining dj, which was cool! My sister and friends and I danced on the little "stage" in front of his booth and so we were face to face-- and let me tell you, he is not only talented but also cute. I just never knew djs did that much work! Not for one second did he rest or stop messing with the turntable or the Mac or the whatever buttons he was pushing. A real slight of hand that guy has. Random fact: did you know that DJ AM was a part of that group Crazytown who sang that lame Butterfly song? "Come come my lady..."

And that's where I'll leave you, as I get back to work on The Sequel That is Breaking My Back and My Spirit. --xoxo.

PS. OMG, I picked the "frustrated" mood tag for this entry, and the picture that came up is Buffy in her coffin! About to claw her way out! I don't know that I'm quite at that level just yet... but I'll prob get there soon!

tGif!

2009-06-12T13:59:42Z

Happy rainy Friday!

1. I am going to be doing signings in DC this weekend, on Saturday at 2pm at Aladdin's Lamp in Arlington and on Sunday at 2pm at Hooray for Books in Alexandria. I hope to see you there!

2. I think I might need one of those shoe closets like Carrie Bradshaw has. I've bought more shoes in the past week and a half than I have all year! I have just never been a shoe girl. This is because I am like Bambi in heels, can barely walk, and I am also not good with pain. But I could not resist the shoes I bought. I simply could not say no. Nude 4.5 inch heels with a cross stitch along the bottom and down the heel, satin 5(!) inch platforms, and black sandals with a little heel and a little bow. And beige gladiator flats that cut my big toe. No more shoes for me.

3. I've rounded up all my edits from my editor and from my friends, and now I just have to dig in to this second draft. Easier said than done! I have a huge mountain of work ahead of me, and it's just so daunting. I think I have written the beginning like, eight times. For reals. I like this most recent beginning, we'll see if it keeps. Still no title. Titles are HARD!

4. Last night, I dreamt that I met Prince Harry and Prince William. They were in town, visiting as royals do. I gave them a book of photography as a gift, and then I was really embarrassed because there was a section on Princess Diana's funeral. Whoops! Prince William didn't seem to mind though, he was very gracious, and I said, "Wow, you have really good manners. It must be because you're a prince." We really hit it off. In the dream, he didn't have a receding hairline either.

5. I have to pack for my big DC trip, and as always, I am torn. There is a gym, and I'd love to give it a whirl, but I just know that if I bring sneakers, I won't end up using them. They'll just be one more thing in my fancy new travel bag. (Another recent purchase. I may not be a shoe girl, but I do like buying suitcases and weekend bags.) My rule is, no more than two pairs of shoes--one nice, one casual. I am actually a very light packer. I can do a bookbag for a weekend. When I go out for the day, I always check my bag to see if there is anything I can get rid of to make my load a little lighter--ie a lip gloss, a pen, etc.

Have a great weekend, yall!

Friday Five alive, the third

2009-06-05T16:29:54Z

1. I am gearing up for a weekend of writing with my buddy Siobhan. I've just gotten preliminary notes from my editor the Pretty sequel and also a trusted writing friend and I am raring to go. I'm like a pony at the track, chompin at the bit. You know what's fun? Horse names. I love horse names, the long and fancy ones and the short and sweet ones. Like Sweet Revenge, or Never Say Never, or Nibbley. I wouldn't mind being Sweet Revenge or Nibbley.

2. Let's talk TV for a minute. Summer is here which means a few things. So You Think You Can Dance! True Blood! Entourage! Weeds!

3. Now let's talk books. Or one book in particular, the book I cannot stop thinking about. CATCHING FIRE. Read it, loved it, am obsessed with it. Peeta is my dream man. Peeta, you can bake bread or ice cookies for me anytime, now and forever. I can't wait until the book comes out and so I can discuss it with everyone and also buy it for everyone. Makes a wonderful gift! I bought so many copies of Hunger Games, you don't even want to know.

4. School is almost out FOR SUMMA! School's out FOREVA! Well, not forever exactly, but for three months. I love this time of year, with the whole summer stretching out in front of you. It feels so... decadent. I plan to be at the beach as much as possible so I can work on my book (Pretty 3!!!) as well as become golden.

5. Do you live in DC? Because I am doing two signings in DC! Come and see me, won't you please? I will be at Aladdin's Lamp on Saturday June 13th at 2pm, and I will be at Hooray for Books! in Alexandria on Sunday June 14th at 2pm. I hope I see you there!

I'm audi 5000.

friday five alive, the sequel

2009-05-29T15:05:19Z

1. I just found out Shug is gonna be published in Germany! I love my German publisher Hanser Verlag! Germany is now my new favorite country.

2. You know what sounds so delicious? A white cake with bittersweet chocolate that has been dripped over it and hardened into a shell. Doesn't that sound good? A long time ago, Seventeen magazine used to have a short story section that teens would submit to-- and there was once a short story about a girl with an eating disorder and she makes this cake for her father's birthday. It was called "Teddy's cake" or something. Anyway, I want a slice of that cake.

3. Going shopping today. On the horizon: flat, fancy sandals that can transition from day to evening. Also, a pair of high heels that will sit in a box in my closet because I never wear high heels. I am not one of those wundergirls who can wear heels shopping and dancing and to work and they just walk through the pain. When I am in pain, I want everyone to know about it and that can be tedious for those having to listen.

4. Have sent in the sequel to Pretty to my editor. Am waiting with bated breath for notes. But am also enjoying this down time.

5. I often ask people this question. I want you to play along and answer it. Would you rather have a personal chef, a driver, or a personal trainer? For me, it's easy. I say DRIVER. I hate to drive. I am a very anxious driver. I love having people drive me around. While I would really like a personal chef, I can cook and also there is always takeout. A trainer would be lovely because it is, after all, summer-- but I've tried that out before and I just ended up avoiding the gym so I didn't have to run into him and explain why I hadn't come in so long. Maybe if I had one of those bootcamp people who come to your house-- my house by the beach in LA, with a workout room. A bootcamp person could not come to my NYC studio apartment. I would not want to disturb my neighbors with all that.

friday five alive

2009-05-22T19:44:03Z

1. My throat is hurty. Hurts to swallow, hurts to talk. Happened over night! Drinking hot honey water now.

2. We just sold more foreign rights for Pretty!  Hebrew and Portugese to be exact. Which brings our grand total up to (drum roll please) SEVEN! More than I could ever hope for. Besides my sore throat, I feel like the luckiest girl in the worl'. (the dropped d is intentional, so as to rhyme.)

3. My little sister graduated from graduate school-- with straight A's! So very proud of her. Watch out world, Babe is on her way!  (I call her Babe. Also Roon, short for Babe-a-rooni. What can I say, she is my little sister.)

4. Terminator Salvation is out!!! For those who don't know me like that, I am a huge fan of the Terminator franchise, with the exception of T3 which I choose not to recognize. T2, however, I love and can recite to you all day long. ("I order you not to go!" "I know now why you cry, but it is something I can never do.") I was supposed to watch Salvation tonight but I AM SICK and thus cannot. But y'all go and report back here!  But only if you have nice things to say... I can't allow people to bash the movie if I haven't at least seen it because then it will color my expectations and I wish to go in with a hopeful heart. John Connor 4ever.

5. I don't think I even have a 5. I'm too sick to have a 5.

peace out yall!

hola!

2009-05-12T23:57:45Z

So. The Summer I Turned Pretty is finally, officially out! (You can't see me, but I am high-fiving myself.) Last night, I had a really great event at RJ Julia in CT. It's the sweetest bookstore, so charming, with cupcakes and black and white photos and the best staff ever. (The best next to Books of Wonder, my other favorite indie.) The best part was (other than all the adorable girls that came out), they gave me a gift! I got to pick out any book I wanted in the whole store! I waffled between The Help by Kathryn Stockett and The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet. I ended up going with T.S.

Tomorrow night, I have a reading at the New York Public Library, Jefferson Market branch at 6pm. I am reading with Emma McLaughlin, Nicola Kraus, Kieran Scott, Susane Colasanti, and Nick Burd. Come out and say hey! This Thursday, I will be signing books at the Lincoln Center Barnes and Noble at 3:30. And, this Sunday, I will be reading AND signing at Borders at 2pm in Glen Allen, Virginia.

And now, I am going to eat some Cinnamon Toast Crunch and call it a night.

and the winner is...

2009-04-29T22:43:28Z

Before I tell you who won my arc contest, I will share with you, my precious readers, a haiku my editor wrote for the occasion.

Mama always said

Pretty is as pretty does

In the summertime

Isn't that lovely? Isn't that just so sweet? And in keeping with the theme?
And now for the winner of the contest! The signed arc and mix tape go to... (drum roll, drum roll) ANDREA of Mode a la Pie!

Here is Andrea's haiku:

long bike rides with friends
bugs a-glow in clear glass jars
slurping otter pops

Andrea, I will be in touch shortly! And I hope you enjoy your prize. :) A big thank you to everyone who participated. Yall are such good sports!

there may be bugs on some of you mugs

2009-04-23T03:11:16Z

First things first. The results of the haiku contest will be coming very soon! I am still sorting through my entries. Patience, my pretties!

In the meantime... here's one of my favorite commercials.

red flag!!!

2009-04-20T14:39:29Z

First things first, today is the LAST DAY of the haiku contest for a copy of Summer I Turned Pretty! Enter by midnight! * * *

Secondly, I am doing a website overhaul and it will have a new look and a new name. It will be dearjennyhan.com. The old site has not been renewed so that's why it is down right now. That is also why my old email jenny at jennyhanwrites dot com no longer works! Send to my new email jenny at dearjennyhan dot com. K? Now I am nervous I will lose emails... Shoot.

5 things on a friday...

2009-04-17T16:11:51Z

1. I accidentally slept for almost eleven hours. whoops...
2. I am still in my pjs and am about to heat up some grits and fry and egg to go on top. Possibly some bacon too. BTW, I am now the queen of grits, if you haven't seen the bulletins. I can make creamy white grits, so hot and smooth. The trick is, they have to be stone ground. And you have to cook them for over an hour. SO WORTH IT.
3. As soon as I eat them grits, I am gonna get it together and hike over to Starbucks and WRITE my butt off. I am in a desperate situation here. Words must be written. There's this little deadline I have to contend with...
4. Tonight, I am going to see Adventureland, which I have heard mixed things about, but Siobhan loved it and I trust her. I am just sad it's not Watchmen I'm watching. I still haven't seen it!!!
5. I'll definitely be ordering popcorn and a cherry Coke, because for me, that is like the whole point.

Heyyyy you guyyyys!

2009-04-17T04:15:49Z

Don't forget to enter my haiku contest, yo! You could win The Summer I Turned Pretty AND a mixtape! So come on, what's stopping you?

Today I treated myself to not one but TWO new lippies. I was in the mood for new lip color, and Saks is having a Friends and Family sale, so I took advantage of the three dollar savings and pounced. I pounced on a pink lipstick called SPEAK LOUDER by MAC and also a limited edition (that's why I had to buy it, bc it's limited, see) Hello Kitty MAC lip pot called POPSTAR. Also, a Wild Blueberry vanilla candle from Trish McEvoy that I have been spying on for forever, it smells like birthdays and muffins and happiness. I also got some foundation, which I haven't worn in a long time but it was the name of it that got me-- Chanel TEINT INNOCENCE. It was the innocence part that drew me on. Because when I think foundation, I don't really think innocence. I think old lady perfume and orangey stained shirt collars. But innocence sounds dewy and fresh and lovely. So I bought it. The names of things always get me!

cute movie alert

2009-04-11T17:47:53Z

i saw this trailer over at modealapie.blogspot.com/'s blog and I had to share it over here. Reminds me of Amelie a little.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt certainly turned out HOT! Dang. Kristen Stewart is a lucky beotch. Did yall know he used to date Larisa Oleynik, AKA Alex Mack? I loved her. I especially loved her in this commercial. Has there ever been anyone cuter? I don't think so.

Eat it, KS! Oh, and also, don't forget to enter my haiku contest! Make me proud, people. Or at least make me smile. Same thing.

SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY CONTEST!

2009-04-10T22:56:21Z

* SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY CONTEST *

Hola! I am running a contest for a signed Summer I Turned Pretty advanced reader's copy. The book doesn't come out until May 5th, but this lucky winner will get a sneak peak ARC! Ooh la la! The lucky winner will also receive a mix tape USB, courtesy of moi, chock full of the music that inspired the book. A book soundtrack if you will. It looks a lot like this:

So here is the contest. It is twofold.

1. In the comments section or via email, tell me your favorite thing(s) about summer-- by way of HAIKU! For those who don't know, a haiku is a poem made up of three lines, of five, seven, and five syllables.

2. Spread the word about the contest on your own blog or tell a friend or something, and tell me all about your efforts when you submit your entry.

for example:

PART 1:
bathing suit tan lines
i do not mind them at all
in fact i like them

PART 2:
I mentioned this contest on my blog ___! (insert blog name here)

See how easy that was? And it took all of two minutes. You can do it too!

You have until April 20th. You can email me your summer haiku at jenny at jennyhanwrites dot com. Or, leave it here in the comments. I will publish the lucky winner's poem on this blog, or I won't, if maybe you are shy and don't want me to.

Good luck, dear readers!

xoxo

the rock star life

2009-04-06T00:48:44Z

So it's been said that the Rochester Teen Book Festival is the best of all the book festivals in the land. Whoever said it was right! Nothing compares!

When we rolled up to the festival Saturday morning, it was pure class-- a limo! When we stepped into the building, there was a red carpet and like a million kids. Well maybe not a million, but possibly a thousand. We had breakfast with our very own teen hosts, and mine was named Grace, and she was the girl who starred in that Shug video I posted a long time ago. She was so great! I had a blast and I met so many great people. There were even buttons with our faces on them! And posters! And gift bags! In my five favorite things, I mentioned that I love mini foods and they gave me mini M&Ms and mini Cadbury eggs and mimi Altoids.

They treated us like rock stars and we loved it! Us, was Sara Zarr and Linda Sue Park and David van Etten, Kenneth Oppel, Ellen Hopkins, Michael Buckley, Matt de la Pena, Terry Trueman, and so many others, including Longstockings Daphne and me. Thank you, Stephanie and TBF crew!

*pictures courtesy of David Levithan, photographer to the stars.

I heart TBF!

2009-04-05T18:20:44Z

I literally just got back from the Teen Book Festival in Rochester-- it was AMAZING. Seriously. Like, so fun and so well-thought out and just the best festival I have ever been to. I will write more about it later, but I just wanted to say so right away. Also, sarazarr gave me a hard time for being a sporadic blogger and I vowed to write at least 4 posts a month instead of my usual 3. But I am so sleepy. I gotta go run errands but I will be back, with details.

So for now, I leave you with this: A starred review from School Library Journal!!! Talk about the highlight of my April! I love you, Miranda Doyle! You rock.

HAN, Jenny. The Summer I Turned Pretty. 288p. CIP. S & S May 2009. Tr $16.99. ISBN978-1-4169-6823-8. LC 200802707.

Gr 7–10—Romantic and heartbreakingly real, this novel follows 15-year-old Belly through the most important summer of her life. Every year, her family shares a beach house with Belly's mother's best friend, Susannah, and her two sons. Belly has always had a crush on Conrad, the older boy, but he has always treated her like an annoying younger sister. This summer, everything changes. The beautifully written novel captures Belly's realization that she is changing into an attractive young woman with a growing power over the boys in her life. They include Cam, the "nice" boy she should fall for but doesn't, and Jeremiah, Susannah's younger son. Only Conrad is seemingly immune to Belly's charms. Meanwhile, Susannah and her family are dealing with problems that Belly does not fully comprehend. Flashbacks to previous summers show her struggles to make Conrad and Jeremiah notice and include her, and how hurt she was when they didn't. The novel perfectly blends romance, family drama, and a coming-of-age tale, one that is substantially deeper than most, but it will still satisfy those hoping for a soapy story of summer love. Belly's discovery that you can't always choose who you love will appeal to readers, as will the author's expert evocation of a magical time when absolutely anything could happen.—Miranda Doyle, San Francisco Unified School District

She's like the new Lonelygirl15!

2009-04-03T03:41:27Z

Do yall remember Carrlita27? She made an amazing video about Shug where she acted out scenes and wore wigs and was ADORABLE. I was so impressed with her.

Well now Little Miss Carrlita is famous! Her youtube channel has racked up more than 3.5 mill views! She got written up in the Dallas News and they said this:

"It all began about a year ago, when a teacher offered Carlita a choice: Write a report about a book called Shug or make a video. Carlita spent the weekend making the video, aced the assignment and posted it online. Jenny Han, the book's author, eventually found the video, praised it on her Web site and posted a link so her fans could take a look."

I'm so honored that Shug was her very first video. I got such a kick out of it. Carrlita, I hope you'll do my new book The Summer I Turned Pretty too!!!

XOXO

sadness...

2009-03-27T00:59:11Z

My Spring Break is almost over! Boooo! I mean, it's been a great two weeks-- I had siobhan_says_so on my couch for a week, I saw some old friends, I got a massage and a facial, I got some work done on my Pretty sequel. I wanted like, a million new pages, but alas. I am not a writer robot! I can only do so much. But I make this vow this very night: the rest of this break will be spent hunched over my laptop! I swear it. And um, when I'm not writing, I'll be watching the NCAA tourney. GO HEELS! I better hurry up and lay out my game day outfit. Do I go all out and wear my Hansbrough jersery, or do I hold off and wear a simple UNC t?

I've had some good news coming out of the Bologna Children's Book Fair. I'll be sure to share news when I have it! I love my agents so so much. Suddenly I feel the need to do a little Internet shopping...

whoo hoo!

2009-03-18T16:20:34Z

It's only Wednesday and already it's been an exciting week. Here, let me lay it all out for you.

1. My very good friend Siobhan is staying with me and we are watching lots of Buffy and brainstorming and bouncing book ideas off of each other. We are also eating eggs and shrimp salad, that kind of thing.

2. Summer I Turned Pretty is gonna be published-- in FRANCE! I love love love France. J'adore the food and the chocolat and the Seine. I got the best tan of my life sunbathing along the Seine. I've studied French my whole life and even though my French is rudimentary at best, I am so thrilled that I will be able to read my book in another language that I can sort of understand. SO THRILLED.

3. I got my first ever starred review!!! That was such a great surprise. I wasn't expecting it AT ALL. I just opened up my email and BAM. A starred review! I will share it soon. I wish I had a gold foil star I could stick on to my computer so I could always remember this moment.

4. I am doing my first ever reading of SITP at the Brooklyn Public Library tomorrow, all as part of the NYC Teen Author festival. Verrry exciting. I will also be emceeing, which makes me a little nervous. But alas, I will do my best to be the best MC Hammer I can be.

5. I am on spring break! And it's wonderful. If I wasn't meeting Alvina for lunch at 1:00, I would take a little cat nap just because I can.

LOVE LOCKDOWN

2009-03-15T04:15:25Z

It's just after midnight on a Saturday night. And I am at home. Why? Because, my friends, I am on LOCKDOWN. I must must must write my butt off this week. School's out for Spring Break and I suddenly have all the time in the world to commit to this book. I kicked off the extravaganza today with siobhan_says_so at Starbucks, from 11am to 6pm. We are serious, folks!

Tomorrow, it's more of the same... Right about now, I would normally be freaking out. Which, I definitely sort of am. But I am also excited, because I just recently had a great idea for the book and now all I have to do is execute it. No big whoop. My plan is to have the sequel to Pretty finished before Pretty comes out. And by "finished" I mean, a first draft. And Pretty comes out in early May, so yeah, not a whole lot of time left. A month and a half, to be exact. Great, I just freaked myself out again, quel suprise.

To cheer myself up, I will share with you a mood board I made for Summer I Turned Pretty. I made it a long time ago, when I actually had time on my hands. I made it for my designer and editor, when we were coming up with cover concepts. It's just pictures I like, some of pretty covers and some of things I think are just particularly evocative and represent the sort of story I am trying to tell.

A-ha moment

2009-02-25T23:13:43Z

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted one of these gauzy, embroidered tops. Kinda hippie, kinda bohemian. I always pictured myself with faded bell bottoms and possibly a guitar. For the record, I do not play the guitar. I think the guitar detail snuck in there because of my Milla Jovavitch infatuation in the late 90s, Dazed and Confused, etc. Anyway. Back to the shirt.
For example, Joie makes a lot of these such blouses. I pictured myself getting mine from Mexico, but I digress. The point is, I always wanted one but never questioned the origins of the longing.

Today, while I was aimlessly googling, I finally realized why the obsession with this kind of shirt. It was a seed planted many, many years ago, when I was but a young girl. My early 90s obsession/girl crush.

Clearly, Vada Sultenfuss snuck into my subconscious and became my secret, unconscious style icon. Here's to you, Vada.

Geeses! Gooses! Beaches!

2009-02-25T04:03:40Z

It's cold in New York. Bitter, mean cold. I am knee deep in my as-yet-untitled sequel-- that takes place at the beach. In the summer. So it's no surprise that when I'm not writing or watching 24 or eating cookies, I am investigating beach getaways. Last summer, I was so so lucky to spend most of it at the beach. I was in Cape Cod and also the Hamptons for all of July and most of August. It was GREAT. It was so inspiring. Right now, not so inspiring.

But lucky me, I am going to Puerto Rico with some high school friends next weekend. Last minute trip, just the weekend. I feel so impulsive! I like being impulsive. It makes me feel very free and easy. (In high school, I had a t-shirt that said FREE and EASY. I bought it in Korea, thinking, oh free and easy spirited, that's me! But when I came back to America, all my friends were like, Free and Easy??! And I was like, huh?)
So in a week and a half, I will be on a beach turning brown as a berry-- I hope! I will also be taking tons of notes and thinking SENSORY DETAIL. There's nothing like the smell of sunscreen to bring back summer.

Now, I need to get back to researching my summer beach destination. I'm thinking Outer Banks. I'm thinking Emerald Isle. Something like that.

PS. ten points to whoever gets my subject heading!

five things on a friday...

2009-02-13T05:22:00Z

1. I am so super completely obsessed with those Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris! Yall know that show, True Blood, well, it's based on these books. There's vampires and shapeshifters and love triangles, and okay, it's a tiny bit trashy. So what. I mean, it's definitely for grown-ups. The books are funny and there are these moments, when Harris has such a beautiful turn of phrase... It just has that Southern twang to it, which is maybe why I like it so much. And also, a vampire named Eric. Anyway, I've been reading two a day, and just now I finished the 8th one. I am sad, but the 9th comes out in May. Wish I had me a Penguin friend (as in the publisher, not the animal) so I could get my greedy paws (a pun! there are a lot of werewolves and weretigers and things in these books) on it. If only S&S or Little, Brown published Sookie! Then I might have a chance... As it stands, I will have to wait till May. WAH!

2. Speaking of books, my book The Summer I Turned Pretty is coming out in May too! I forgot all about that in the midst of all this Sookie talk. And, as I say, I am working on the sequel as we speak, and that should be out in May '10, and then the third book the year after. A TRIO of books, one might say.

3. Speaking of The Summer I Turned Pretty, we just sold the German rights to it! I am so so excited. Danke, Germany! I can't wait to see what the cover looks like. Hope it's just as pretty as the US one. But German-style.

4. Speaking of Pretty, Wayne Ellington of the UNC Tarheels looked mighty pretty last night! Those in the know, know that my affections have always gone the way of Tyler, #50, AKA Psycho T. But Wayne is just so gosh darn cute. I was jumping off my couch last night, watching the game. Can we say triple-digits? I was hoping they'd keep filming a while longer so I could see the sad, dejected looks on those Dukies' faces as they left...

5. Since it's Presidents Day next week, I get a longer than usual weekend. I plan to type until my fingers ache. Yall hold me to it!

Please don't go, girl

2009-01-30T17:59:21Z

Well, today is a bittersweet, sad day. Today, I sit in my favorite coffee shop/cupcake place, alongside one of my very favorite people. But yall, I'm sad! Because tomorrow, Miss Shove-on Vivian leaves Brooklyn, New York for parts far, far away. I think we all know how crucial, how vitally important it is to have a writing partner who gets you and gets your work. How much more important it is to have a friend who gets you and your work! She is all that and more. She is a great writer and a true friend. Her book Same Difference is coming out in March, and we got to see the finished copy a week ago. I have to tell you, I felt such pride when I saw that thing, so pretty and glossy, with my friend's name on it. I felt pride for my friend and also pride that I had some small part in that great, terrific book coming to fruition. When The Summer I Turned Pretty comes out, I am pretty sure Siobhan will feel the same thing, because my success is hers and vice versa. She has helped make my book infinitely better, and without her sitting across from me, making funny faces and jokes, I don't know what I will do. I will be very sad and Brooklyn will be a lot less sparkly without her. Siobhan Vivian, you are one to miss. This song is for you, dear dear friend. I struggled with which to pick-- should I go with Miss Dale Evans's Happy Trails? Milli Vanilli, Girl I'm Gonna Miss You? But no. I will keep it real, keep it old school. Keep it classic.

always your girl, Jenny