Dog vs. Cat . . .

Sometimes you just need a funny dog video . . .

Isn't that right, fellas?

"You think she'll give us food?"  "Sure.  Just keep smiling."

"Puh-lease!  Dogs are so immature!  Back to my beauty rest."

Happy Birthday, Book!

Birthdays are fun.

Especially book birthdays. Especially this book's birthday because How to Survive Middle School has had a year I couldn't have imagined.



Let's begin at the beginning.

After As If Being 12-3/4 Isn't Bad Enough, My Mother Is Running for President came out, I wrote another book. It took a year of research and writing, involved multiple viewpoints and was 400 pages looooooooong.

My agent, Tina Wexler, was savvy enough to tell me those 400 pages were terrible. Actually, she was kind enough to say, "I think you should put this one away and write another book."

She was right, of course.

But there was no way I could write another book just then. My heart was in a chokehold. Our youngest son had just started middle school. One of 1,200 kids, he suffered mightily. He hated himself and got into all manner of trouble. I remembered that our older son had similar heart-breaking episodes at that age. In fact, I remembered when I suffered the humiliations of acne, unrequited love and discomfort in one's own skin during those awkward years.

I could write about those feelings, I thought. Maybe a character could write a book about how to survive middle school. Or better yet, create funny videos that end up on YouTube.

I infused those intense feelings into a book I titled: How to Survive Middle School Without Getting Your Head Flushed, Deal with an Ex-best Friend, um, Girls and a Heart-breaking Hamster. Thank goodness my publisher shortened the title!

My editor told me this territory has been covered before, so I'd better work hard to make my book different. I worked hard. She sent me several rounds of revisions until I got it right.

Still, when starred reviews came in, I was stunned. I'd never gotten a starred review.

Similarly, when I got the e-mail telling me that my book landed on the Texas Lone Star Reading List, I was shocked. I'd never appeared on a state reading list. Last week, I found out How to Survive Middle School will be on the New York state reading list, too. Then came inclusion on the Bank Street Children's Books best books of the year list.

Yowza! Checking my e-mail had become thrilling.

I'd been invited to speak at schools and literary events all over the country, like the BK Book Festival, coordinated by the awesome Arthur Levine. (Check out his new picture book, Monday is One Day.)



I learned that Scholastic bought the right to include my book in its fall book fairs and book club. And How to Survive Middle School will be featured in their author video that students across the country view before attending their school's book fair.

I received e-mails from children and adults that have made my day, week, month! Lily sent me a photo of the Jewish apple cake she and her mother made from the recipe in the back of my book.



When one sends a book into the world, one never knows what will happen. Usually what happens is a big pile of nothing.

So I'm delighted about all the wonderful that's happened in the first year of How to Survive Middle School. I'm glad most of all that it's made a difference to some young readers, that they learned they weren't alone in their feelings and struggles to survive those turbulent middle school years. I'm happy some young people learned that things get better.

Things certainly got better for our son. And the cool thing about all this is that some of the money I earn from this book will go to paying tuition for him to attend a phenomenal private high school in our area next year.

And I'm thrilled to announce that on my book's birthday -- April 13th -- How to Survive Middle School will go into its 6th printing.

So, happy birthday book. Thank you for bringing so much joy into my life. And don't forget that next year you'll have a sibling -- Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen will come into the world early in 2012. I hope she receives a reception half as lovely as you've had.

I'd have posted this on my book's actual birthday, but next week I'll be in PA, speaking at this conference then visiting family and friends.

When I return, I'll share photos from my adventures.

And to celebrate National Poetry Month, talented author, Lee Wardlaw, will offer an inspiring guest post about writing poetry.

I LIKE BIG BOOKS . . .

Welcome to my new favorite YouTube video!

I love these kids. (Oh, and the guy in the tutu.) I don't know which is better -- the video or the bloopers and outtakes at the end?

All I can say is I'd LOVE to do an author visit at Dowell Middle School in McKinney, TX.

Maybe these creative, fun kids would like to meet Hammy . . .

I mean, How to Survive Middle School is on the Texas Lone Star Reading List. I think a school visit with these book-lovin', video-makin' kids would be an awesome idea.

Okay. Okay! The truth: I've just got to meet that guy in the tutu!

So You Want to Write a Novel

Funny, this is exactly how I sold my first book to Random House . . .

The Great Hamster Mishap

Sometimes, a young reader responds to one of my books in a delightfully creative way.

Some have baked cakes, others have made a YouTube video and still others have made posters or T-shirts.

But only one person (that I know of) has ever sculpted characters from my novels out of clay.

Elyssa, my friend's daughter and an avid reader, sculpted Hammy the Hamster from How to Survive Middle School. And when I visiting Pennsylvania, she gave it to me.

This clay hamster was so detailed. It had a pink nose, puffy cheeks and a microphone.

But there was one problem.

Hammy had to travel on a plane all the way back to Florida. How to do that? Well, I stuck him in a days-of-the-week pill holder, of course. Hammy resided in the Thursday slot during the ride.

When I got home, I discovered, to my great horror, that something terrible happened to Hammy.

His. Arm. Fell. Off. THE ONE WITH THE MICROPHONE!

I screamed bloody murder. I dialed 1-1-9. (I'm dyslexic.) I ran for the Krazy Glue.

After countless minutes -- two -- Hammy was back together again.

In fact, he already made a new friend.

I should have known this would have happened. Elyssa knows there have been mishaps in the past when it comes to Sculpey clay. Seniorita Meltypants was our previous disaster.

But all is right in the world now. And little Hammy keeps me company next to Miss Vanessa Meltypants on my desk.

Thank goodness Hammy and his microphone are back in working order. I mean, how else could he possibly star in his very own video? Thanks, Elyssa!

New to Use . . .

Yikes! Lots going on at Wild About Words.

1. Thanks to Nathan Bransford for mentioning 6 1/2 Book Promotion Tips by the amazing Cynthia Leitich Smith. And thanks to Cynthia for sharing her expertise!

2. Exciting 6 1/2 Lists are on the horizon. Agent, Tina Wexler from I.C.M. Talent, will be sharing tips. And Paul May shares his funny list about what waiting for "the call" is like for a writer.

3. Hurry! Win a copy of AS IF BEING 12 3/4 ISN'T BAD ENOUGH, MY MOTHER IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT! in paperback from GOODREADS. (Contest expires, um, right this minute.) Or buy a hardback copy for a strangely low price. (Great way to get in good with your kid's teacher this fall -- donate a copy to the classroom library.)

4. Looks like there might be some exciting book news to share soon. But right now -- Shhhh! -- it's a secret.

5. Finally, this sweet girl posted about a billion . . . or maybe a zillion clips on YouTube of her reading HOW TO SURVIVE MIDDLE SCHOOL.

I love this for many reasons.

A. The book is about a boy who creates videos for YouTube, and I'd hoped young readers would connect with that element and be inspired to create their own videos.

B. I can't imagine how much time she spent doing this.

C. She looks like I did at that age, except I didn't wear glasses . . . yet.

D. Check out her fun yellow nail polish!

IT'S HERE! AND IT'S HAMMY TIME!!!

Meet HAMMY -- the little star in my new novel, HOW TO SURVIVE MIDDLE SCHOOL. In the book, David creates a funny video starring his hamster, Hammy, and it becomes a YouTube sensation.

Thanks to the creative minds at Page Turner Adventures, Hammy is now the star of his own MUSIC VIDEO for you to enjoy!

(Warning: You might find yourself humming the tune for the next few hours . . . and smiling.)




Also, thanks to Chris Baty of NaNoWriMo for posting this Q & A on his blog.

How to Write a Novel

Want to write a novel?
Hmm. Me, too.
It's got to be easy, right? Just string a few thousand words together and . . . ta dah . . . you become the next J. K. Rowling, Stephenie Meyer or Stephen King.
Small problem: They have to be the right few thousand words in the right order.
Hmm. I think we need some help.
Let's turn to prolific writing guru Meg Cabot.
She's got this awesome video to tell YOU how to write a novel.
Stephenie Meyer, look out!