1. Today is the beginning of Memorial Day weekend, the official start of summer. Yay! I don’t know about you, but I’ll confess that I actually thought up until very recently (ahem, Wednesday) that Memorial Day weekend was NEXT weekend. I know! I’m a moron. But in my defense, doesn’t it usually fall on the last weekend of May, not the second to last? Oh, who cares. It’s a pleasant surprise and gives me one more official week of summer, and what’s not to love about that? I plan to make some deviled eggs, get a pedicure, and dangle my feet in Sasha’s plastic wading pool with my eyes closed, pretending I’m at the beach. Ahhhh. Feel that ocean breeze?
2. Thanks to everyone for the comments about my tour dates I posted on Wednesday. I know some of you were disappointed that I’m not coming to your town, or at least closer to your town. The truth is, my fab publicist, Allison, puts a LOT of work into picking where I go. There’s, like, an intricate formula based on interest from bookstores, how long I’ll agree to be away, and where it all fits in with the rest of my dates. Then she takes all that info, puts in in her magic publicist ball, and shakes it all around…..okay, maybe it’s not exactly like that. But there is rhyme and reason to all the decisions, I promise. And for those of you who asked about BEA, and whether it’s open to the public, it is not. However, we may be adding a NYC appearance later on. So stay tuned!
3. It has been a BIG week for show finales, with none bigger than Idol on Wednesday night. I’ve said here before that I stopped watching after Anoop got cut, if only because Idol is the biggest time suck since….well, The Real Housewives, which I can’t seem to quit, Anoop or no Anoop. Anyway, regardless of whether I’ve kept up or not, I can NEVER seem to resist the Idol finale, if only for the pure campiness of it all. So we turned it on, just in time to see….KISS. WHAT? My husband, who loved KISS as a kid, was flabbergasted to see them on a show he so despises. I could see his brain almost seizing up….does….not….compute! Plus you had Steve Martin playing the banjo, a rehashing of songs from my junior high school days (Time After Time, Hello….Bianca and I were texting back and forth, totally freaking out with nostalgia) and, for some reason, one of the judges in a bikini. So strange. At least it wasn’t Simon. In the end, I didn’t know who to pull for, but a lot of folks seemed surprised by the outcome. I was leaning towards Adam, if only as kudos for the boots he wore onstage with KISS. I mean, THAT took commitment. Not to mention balance.
4. Also this week, I finished my latest audiobook, Michael J. Fox’s Always Looking Up; Adventures of An Incurable Optimist. Seriously, this was just what I needed after fifteen hours on the Columbine tragedy: it was so uplifting, and funny, and it made me think, and not about bad things, either. It’s hard for me to picture Michael J. Fox without thinking of Alex P. Keaton (“Mallory!”) but he comes across as so likeable and down to earth that now I wish we could be BFFs. I already downloaded his first book, Lucky Man, to listen to next. Maybe while I have my feet in that wading pool.
5. Finally, a BIG thank you to everyone who helped Lock and Key hit The New York Times paperback bestseller list its first week out! This was just the best news, like, ever. A lot of you might be wondering why I’ve put all this push behind a book that’s already been out for a year in hardback. Well, the truth is…I always kind of felt like I didn’t give Lock and Key a fair shake. When I was writing and editing it, I was crazy and pregnant. Then when it came out, I was crazy and new-mom exhausted. The book tour was a whirlwind, complicated by my husband busting his sternum into two pieces, one of my babysitters getting in a car accident (she was fine, luckily) and it just seemed like everything was crazy, all at once. And in the wild shuffle, I just didn’t feel as invested in Lock and Key as I wanted to be. I did the best I could, and I still think it was pretty good. But ever since then, I’ve felt like I wanted to make it up to Ruby, and the book. Does that sound crazy? Probably. We writers tend to be that way. But crazy as it is, I just wanted to give the book the sendoff I WANTED to do for it last year. And I am so glad that I did. Now…onto the next one. Wheeee!
Have a great holiday weekend, everyone!
lol. Summer starting for you. Here, it’s just started raining for the first time in months and it’s been pouring buckets.
Well at least you found out Wednesday…I personally didn’t know about this holdiday weekend until yesterday afternoon…. yeah, I guess some of us do think it’s the LAST weekend….I guess that would make the holiday June 1st though, huh?
Yeah as soon as Along for the Ride hits stores, Lock and Key paperback will also be in my arms!
I won’t be seeing you on your booktour, but I’ll keep checking your blog!
Your books
I just started reading your books because I didn’t know they were really good until I ran out of books to read in the library. your books were the only ones left but know I’m in love with them and everybody else has checked them out so I can’t read them anymore I’m so sad. so now I’m buying them on-line. Yay!
Memorial Day is the last Monday in May. Making next weekend Memorial Day weekend would have made Memorial Day June 1st. Does not compute! That’s the only way I remember the weekend.
LOCK AND KEY is actually my favorite of all of your books – so I think you might be the only one feeling that way.
Sarah! Anderson’s sent out an email that said you and Laurie would be here July 11 at 7pm! Now I’m confused. I don’t want to miss your appearance!!
AHHH AMERICAN IDOL!
EEEK!!! Hahaha. I was shocked when Kris won, but I’m pretty sure we’re going to see a lot of Adam in the future. I can’t wait to buy his CD. He makes me swaaa-ooooon! LOL!
http://i639.photobucket.com/albums/uu119/itz2much/altop10-2.jpg
And the boots he was wearing with KISS, there are actually some pictures in forum threads where he has actually worn those kind of boots in theaters/plays back then.
Also, just wanted to let you know that ever since you mentioned Megan McCafferty’s books a month ago, I started reading them! LOVED, LOVED IT!! Marcus and Jessica and their no-apologizing rule conversation! haha.
“You remembered a story about Marin that you didn’t experience firsthand. You can’t remember this?”
“Honestly, Jessica, I can’t say that I do.”
[Cough. Sniffle.] “Oh, it’s no big deal.” [Sniffle.]
“I’m sorry, Jess—”
“Ha! Pay up, sucka!” (page 140)
LOVED IT!! haha.
Bianca
Until I read this post and you mentioned texting Bianca, i remember that you dedicated one of your books to her. The funny thing is, my name is Bianca too, and the first book I read was the one you dedicated to her! I thought it was a sign!
Well
At least you don’t have to go to school on Memorial Day.
And you’re welcome[: I bought Lock and Key in paperback
[;
Yes! Please come to New York City!
Completly off subject from the friday five, but my computer is just giving up on me. All of my windows updates have taken all the space in my computer to do anything. Half the time the top row of keys just dont work, and then sometimes when they do start to work the row below them stops working. So Ive been thinking about getting a new laptop, and was wondering if you still loved your Mac or if you miss your PC
I hardly ever respond to comments, but I am SUCH an Apple fan I have to respond to this one. I LOVE my Mac. It’s faster, simpler, and just….better. I haven’t had a hard time at all changing over. You might want to try it! I have no regrets.
I was totally expecting maybe a mention of it in your next blog, certainly not a actual comment! Thank you so much, I was digging through old blogs you had posted trying to find if you had said anything about how you liked it and couldnt. Its tough though, all the Macs are so expensive! Ill have to keep thinking.
I do have to say that I did have to rub in my moms face that my favorite authors are cooler than hers because they personally respond back to me and hers dont! :p
Hi Sarah,
I’ve been reading your books since high school (I’m almost done with college now) and I just wanted to tell you how much I love your writing. Your words are just so perfect, and your stories always seem to speak to a particular time and place in my own life. Thank you for all of your beautiful books. I’m so excited to read Along for the Ride!
Your fan,
Sarah from NYC
Yay!
If it’s summer, that means Along for the Ride will be out soon. I’m so excited to read it!
KISS
If your husband is a big KISS fan, he should watch the movie role models. It’s very funny, and the characters love KISS.