Jennifer Brown

This week I wrote about, of all things, my out-of-control lawn dilemmas:

I’m a master at a lot of things. Master-whiner. Master-sleeper. Master-cake-eater. But I will never claim to be anyone’s master gardener.

My flowerbed features such beauties as “A plant so easy, even you couldn’t kill it, Jennifer,” “That thing that doesn’t need watering,” and “Something somewhat greenish that came with the house.” As far as I’m concerned, Horticulture is a really awesome underground enviro-friendly alternative rock band in Portland. (“Please welcome to the outdoor stage, ladies and gentlemen, Tofu Turner and the Horticultures!”) READ MORE..

And I got serious about what I did wrong last year when my baby went to kindergarten:

Looking back on the last year, I think it's safe for me to say I was depressed. Not the can't-get-out-of-bed kind of depressed, but the gained-40lbs.-and-don't-have-anything-positive-to-say kind of depressed (see future blog titled "How I Single-Handedly Killed my Kids' School Spirit With My Incessant Griping").

It was supposed to be My Year, you know? My baby had gone off to kindergarten. I had freedom again for the first time in nearly a decade. I had been waiting for this moment to go back to work for a long, long time. And I actually had work to go back to (Hey! My book was published one year ago TODAY! Cool!). READ MORE...

Good news and happy day!

Hate List was chosen for the ALA Great Stories CLUB, theme: Second Chances. This is a reading and discussion program aimed at underserved and at-risk teens, the goal to get them reading by using literature that is relevant to their lives.

The other two books chosen for the Second Chances theme are:

Dope Sick by Walter Dean Myers (2010 Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers)

Lil J is hiding from the police after a drug bust gone bad when he meets a mysterious stranger who offers him a chance to revisit some moments in his past while also giving him possible glimpses at his future.  It all leads up to Lil J facing one pivotal question: "If you could do it all over again and change something, what would it be?"

The Brothers Torres by Coert Voorhees (2009 Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults)

Frankie has always respected his older brother Steve and he can't quite understand why Steve craves the respect of the local tough-guy cholos.  Once Steve takes Frankie under his wing, Frankie gets a first-hand look at how being loyal and trying to earn respect can have dangerous consequences.

Very cool!

Here's more about the program.

Thanks, ALA! I'm so honored!

Several weeks ago I wrote a column about FUDGE, my weakness of the chocolatey dessert, and my frustration with current fudge trends which seems to be that fudge isn't fudge so much as it is a dumping ground for all-things-sickeningly-sweet. Also, I found some at an I-70 gas station, just outside the restrooms, and that was kind of gross.

I fully expected to hear from some fudge-makers after the column ran, but was guessing the notes would be of the You Are a Monster and Everyone Hates You variety. And I was partly right. I did hear from a fudge-maker. But they didn't think I was the devil. They actually agreed with me! Cool!

What's even cooler is this fudge-maker is based in Georgia, which is a long way from Kansas City, where my column runs. Let's be honest -- this is as close to syndication as I'm ever going to get.

So I got curious. And weak. Because it's fudge. And I ordered a couple squares: one chocolate and one chocolate with nuts, like fudge is supposed to be.

So check out what came in the mail:

FUUUUUUUUDGE!

One chocolate, one chocolate with nuts, and one peanut butter, just to prove they could be fancy (if you don't get that, it's because you didn't read the column, but it made me laugh out loud).

We wasted no time digging in and:

Oh, baby, that's what fudge is SUPPOSED to taste like! The kids and I agreed that the peanut butter was our favorite.

And it's all gone.

It's column day! This week I wrote about the dreaded back-to-school bedtime wars:

You’ll have to forgive me if my The Kids Are Back in School dance is lacking a little vigor today. I’m exhausted. I’ve been up all night valiantly fighting the Go to Bed Wars of 2010.

It’s my own fault. Me, with my, “It’s summer, let them stay up a little later,” attitude. With my, “If they sleep in until 10:30 I can get some work done,” mentality. My, “What, it’s only midnight! They have their whole lives to wake up early!” thought process.

Um, actually, they had until Aug. 18. Shame I didn’t see that one coming...READ MORE!

It's also blog day, where I report on five great "boy books" I read over the summer:

My kids are readers. Well, of course. It would pretty much be impossible to live with me and not be a reader (have I ever mentioned that I actually love reading more than I love writing? I do.). But, where I'll pick up just about any book and give it a go, my little readers are picky. Picky, picky, picky... READ MORE!

Ah, yes, the kids are back in school and Mommy is back to work! Seems crazy to say this, but I really haven't written anything new since the end of May. No wonder I'm all twitchy.

Instead, I spent the entire summer revising BITTER END. Yes, that is the official title of my new YA novel, and YES, I thought of that title myself (For those of you familiar with my titling woes, you understand what a huge win that is for me). So I have a title, I have a cover, I have a revised manuscript...all that's left to do is wait until May for the book to come out.

And in the meantime, keep writing.

I also did a ton of reading this summer, and I have a few things I want to say about some of those books, so you can look forward to those blogs coming up. I am currently on book #61 of my 2010 Reading Goal, and I'm really beginning to fear that I won't make it. What's worse, I fear I'll make it over 90, which will just piss me off.

We also took a little Side Trip of Terror to Colorado this summer. It was one of our "adventure vacations," which usually translates to "Find Everything That Scares the Bejeezus Out of Jennifer and Do Them All, and When She Doesn't Die, Call it a Vacation" vacation. We whitewater rafted again (which actually is more fun than scary), scrambled on the rocks at Garden of the Gods (terrifying!), and rode ATVs up a mountain overlooking the Continental Divide (if there is a God, I will never have to do that again).

Probably scariest, we saw the Body Worlds exhibit -- you know, the one with all the cadavers and the beat-up looking organs with the tumors and shit? Let's just say my mortality has been following me around ever since. *peers nervously around every corner for sign of Grim Reaper*

But mostly I spent the summer being a mom. Saw nearly 20 movies. Bowled 5 free games. Went to an amusement park and screamed my head off. Went to a water park and marveled at how not fun water parks are to me anymore. Visited museums and had lunch with family members and rested up for the WRITING FRENZY that is sure to visit me over the course of the next 9 months. Yeah, buddy.

Look what I discovered is still hanging over my kitchen sink? (Hey. I'm short. Don't judge.)

So I'm kinda on the fence here. Do I take it down and try to pretend that we're still in the after-Christmas grace period as long as it's not yet Halloween?

Or do I leave it up and concede that perhaps writing has taken over my life just a bit?

Or maybe I should just admit I'm the Crappiest. Housekeeper. Ever.

I've been kinda waiting for the official announcement to be made by the Michigan Library Association before springing the news, but after seeing that the Grand Rapids branch has announced, I just couldn't wait any longer.

Hate List won an award!!!

It's the Michigan Library Association's Thumbs Up! Award, and the winner is selected by a committee of YA and Teen Librarians and teen readers.

I'm so excited about this win! And proud. What an honor.

Anyway, THANK YOU, Michigan librarians and readers!

It's officially summer break! We've already had a sleepover (7 boys), gone to the swimming pool 6 times since last Thursday, been bowling (I bowled a 108 and a 101! Woohoo!), signed up for the library summer reading program, bought bags and bags of paperbacks at a used book sale, and played more baseball and tee-ball games than I can count!

Because it's been so busy, I've had precious little time to update my blog, so I'm just going to drop in with some notes.

*I have been tirelessly working on copyedits for my next YA book, right now called Bitter End. I'm so excited to be at this stage of the process, and I've learned so much. Did you know that "Dumpster" must be capitalized? Neither did I! Copyeditors amaze me. Right now I have a tentative release date of May 1st. What a perfect birthday present this will be!

*Hate List has been chosen by the John Carroll School for their Summer Reading Program. This is seriously one of the proudest moments I've had since the book came out. I am so honored.

*Hate List has made VOYA's Perfect Tens list, a list of books that has received a rating of 5Q for literary quality and 5P for teen appeal. 

*Hate List has also been nominated for the 2011 New Hampshire Flume Award! This is a teen reader's choice award, and what I'm loving most about this nomination is that my book is on the same list as some of my favorite books EVER! So even if I don't win the award... dude, I totally win just by being on the list.

*I have found out that my whirlwind German reading tour this fall will include the cities of Munich, Stuttgart, Speyer, and Frankfurt, where I'll get to be a part of the 2010 Frankfurt Book Fair! Words cannot describe the excitement I feel about this. (Okay, some words can. Words such as terrified, scared-to-death, nervous-as-hell, hyperventilation...). I simply cannot wait to meet my German publisher!

That's it for now! Back to the pool!

I'm so excited to see the tour bus rollin' through, because today I'm talking with Sydney Salter, the only Deb whom I've actually met in person (and, for the record, I adore her!), and author of  the YA novel, SWOON AT YOUR OWN RISK.

About SWOON AT YOUR OWN RISK:

You’d think Polly Martin would have all the answers when it comes to love—after all, her grandmother is the famous syndicated advice columnist Miss Swoon. But after a junior year full of dating disasters, Polly has sworn off boys. This summer, she’s going to focus on herself for once. So Polly is happy when she finds out Grandma is moving in—think of all the great advice she’ll get. 

But Miss Swoon turns out to be a man-crazy sexagenarian! How can Polly stop herself from falling for Xander Cooper, the suddenly-hot skateboarder who keeps showing up while she’s working at Wild Waves water park, when Grandma is picking up guys at the bookstore and flirting with the dishwasher repairman? 

No advice column can prepare Polly for what happens when she goes on a group camping trip with three too many ex-boyfriends and the tempting Xander. Polly is forced to face her feelings and figure out if she can be in love—and still be herself.

3 Qs for Sydney Salter:

1) What non-writing activity most inspires you to write?

Traveling. I love the adventure of packing up my suitcase and discovering someplace new. Visiting an unfamiliar city, country, or even a place I've been before gets my creativity going.

2) Do you keep your rejection letters? If so, what do you do with them?

I treasure my rejection letters and store them in my Notebook of Rejection. I show pre-published writers and students how many people said no way before I got published. I also share my meanest rejection letter with the audience.

3) What was the moment where it really sank in that you are officially "an author"?

Seeing my book at the bookstore felt almost too surreal so I'd have to say that doing school visits made me feel like a real author--the way kids look at me with awe. I quickly try to make myself very real to them because I strongly believe that anyone with enough drive can be an author.

Pick up a copy of SWOON AT YOUR OWN RISK here.

About Sydney Salter:

Sydney Salter has never had an ex-boyfriend or worked in a water park, but she did once babysit a bulldog. Sydney now lives in Utah with her first and only boyfriend (now her husband), two daughters, two cats, two dogs, and a pair of tortoises. She loves reading, writing, traveling, and really tall, really twisty water slides. She’s also the author of My Big Nose And Other Natural Disasters and Jungle Crossing. www.sydneysalter.com and www.mybignose.blogspot.com

NOTE: For whatever reason, I can't get images and videos to upload today. As soon as I fix the problem, I'll have SWOON's cover image, book trailer, and a photo of the Notebook of Rejection for you. So check back soon!

Look what showed up in my mailbox today!

I can't tell you how excited I am about this! (And somewhat freak-out-ish because this makes my trip to Germany this fall All the More Real and Terrifying).

And this is super nerd-alert, but one of the things I just lovelovelove about this book?:

It has a built-in bookmark! I love built-in bookmarks!

Happy Day! Happy happy German bookmarky day! Wahoo!