1. I’m starting this entry at 7:34 am, while my kid watches Toot and Puddle in the playroom. On the TV behind ME, in the living room, GMA is covering the movie theatre shootings in Colorado. This kind of news is just so horrific: I have no words. I can’t even imagine how the families of the victims are coping, the town, and all the chaos and sadness. We live in scary times, and we know that. But once in awhile something happens like this that brings it right up close. Too close. Heartbreaking.
2. Last night, I did a chat over on the Facebook page for Girl’s Life magazine. Now, these things always make me kind of nervous: you have to keep up, type fast, refresh the page often AND answer concisely but also with wit and heart. WHEW! It was an hour long and by the end I felt like I’d run a 5K. I was literally out of breath. I THINK it went well, especially since just as it started we got hit by a summer thunderstorm that I was terrified would knock out the power altogether. But I am seriously out of shape when it comes to promotional stuff. It’s like a muscle you have to keep primed, and when you let it go, you feel it the next day. My brain is sore today, if that makes any sense. Clearly I need to up my reps before next summer, when the new book comes out.
3. SPEAKING of the new book, there’s been another title change. I KNOW. Believe me, I know. For those of you who are counting, this is title number three, but—-to further confuse things—it’s actually title number one, the original one I had in mind the entire time I was writing. Let me explain. Titles are complex things: sometimes they present themselves VERY early in a book (like This Lullaby, which came to me in the first sentence) and other times they evade me until almost the end (Just Listen, for example). Other times, I have a title in firmly in mind but nobody else likes it, so I have to change it during editing (just about all my other books fall into this category). For the new book, I was about a third of the way through when I decided to call it THE MOON AND MORE. But by the end, I got worried it would sound too much like a sequel to KEEPING THE MOON, so I changed it to THE BEST AFTER EVER. Which was cute, but everyone called it THE BEST EVER AFTER from, like, the minute I announced it, so we decided it was too confusing. Back to the drawing board. About a week’s worth of nail-biting later, I came up with SOMEONE ELSE’S SUMMER. Good, right? Well, my publisher wasn’t totally crazy about it, and neither was I, to be honest. It was kind of a Hail Mary, but I was prepared to run with it until they asked if I could PLEASE come up with another option. All I could think of—all that really EVER worked well—was THE MOON AND MORE. So I decided we’d go back to that, and just hope the similarity to KEEPING THE MOON would be okay. Which I think it will be. There’s some lesson in all this angst and worry and stress expended to end up EXACTLY where you started, not that I want to learn it right this second. I am just glad to have a title and a book I’m happy with. It will be out in Summer 2013. STAY TUNED!
4. My chickens continue to provide me with SO much happiness. Who knew poultry could be so great? They’re cute and funny and give me moments of Zen almost daily. I’m totally not kidding, by the way. Lately my favorite thing is watching our little furry footed d’Uccles practice their crowing. It sounds like someone trying to hold back a sneeze, but you can just TELL they think they are very fierce and scary. At least until Foghorn, our big rooster, chimes in and shows them how it’s done. This video isn’t great, but it makes me SO happy. I am such a nerd. Want more proof? I have a chicken stapler:
Whatever you are thinking, I have already thought it. Rest assured.
5. Okay, as I’m wrapping this up it’s now 4:23pm. I’ve stayed off Twitter and most social media today, feeling like I can’t just do my regular stupid updates when there are so many people grieving in Colorado. Instead, I got quiet, as I tend to do when I’m sad, and just spent the day with my kid. We went to our local indie bookstore, then to her swim lesson, where I sat and watched her as she paddled, sometimes frantically, as her teacher coaxed her forward through the water. For some reason, watching her swim has always kind of gotten me (wasn’t she JUST a baby in my arms?) but today it was especially poignant. When something happens like this movie theatre shooting, you just feel so scared and unsafe. It makes me want to bar the door and keep my entire family inside and in my sight, close, forever. But you can’t live like that. But how CAN you live in a world where senseless things happen like this? I have no answers to these questions. I guess that we are all figuring it out together, especially on a day like today. And so today, the best I can do is tell the ones I love how important they are to me, be grateful we are all accounted for, and hope for a better tomorrow. Yeah. I think I’ll do that.
Have a good weekend, everyone.
I think everyone here can agree with your kind, somber words about the shooting. So, so sad.
On a brighter note, I love, love, LOVE the new (old/original) title of your new book! It makes me want to read it even more! I know it will be amazing; all your books are!
Speaking of your chickens, I adore when you post little videos of them on youtube. As someone from the seaside life, it’s SO nice to see those cute little chickens running around and calling out to each other! And I love your chicken stapler! I have one of a dolphin.
BTW your last paragraph about living in a world where senseless things happen and how we’ll figure it out together definitely seemed like something out of one of your stories!
Can’t wait for the next blog; thanks so much for keeping all your fans entertained!
The new title sounds very intriguing! Can’t wait for the new book! And I thought your Facebook chat went really well! I think I can speak for all of us who participated when I thank you for your time with us! We really appreciate it!
Thank you for doing the Girl’s Life chat last night (you answered my question about coming up with your book titles). I love the title and I’m excited to read the book. When I authors do things like this it just makes it seem so much more real when reading their books, I find. Knowing a little bit about the person who wrote it and how they went about it just gives me so much more reason to read it.
All you can do is raise your kids to be the best people they can be and hope that balances out some of the terrible things people do to each other.
What local indie bookstore are you referring to? I’d love to find a new one in the Triangle area.
Oh my goodness, I NEED THAT CHICKEN STAPLER. Where did you get it? Yes, okay, I will just Google around and find it.
And hooray for original titles holding fast.
Take heart! Similar titles could work well for you! Patrick Ness, another one of my favorite YA writers, ended his Chaos Walking trilogy with a book called MONSTERS OF MEN. His next book, which had no connection to any previous books, was called A MONSTER CALLS. He won multiple awards for both of them, and he’s joked that he should put the word Monster in every book title of his. Maybe Moon can be your lucky title word!
The first book I read of yours was KEEPING THE MOON. Since then, I’ve read everything you’ve read (usually multiple times), and I’m really excited about this next book, too!
Thanks so much for doing the Girls’ Life chat. You answered many of my questions, and I was able to relate to many of the things you stated. The chat made my day. Thanks for being such an inspiration for so many girls. I love the new title; Keeping the Moon was one of my favorite books, so I especially love it.
The shootings made me feel so sad as well. Praying for peace to all of the families affected by it.
On a happier note THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE CHAT! You answered my question about the real housewives (big fan of that show) and it made my day!!(:
I also love the new (old) title, cant wait til next summer so i can read another one of your amazing books!
well in england ‘keeping the moon’ is called ‘last chance’ anyway, so at least the title won’t be at all a problem in one country
why is the title different anyway? anyone know?
I missed your bookchat by and hour and half and I am so bummed!!! I’m glad it went well. I can’t wait for your new book
The truth is I’d read it no matter what the title.
I’m only 14 and this is the first I’m hearing of a new book! I think the title is great. I don’t think that people will relate KEEPING THE MOON to THE MOON AND MORE because usually,if the book is a sequel it will say, “Sequel to ______” on the front cover or it will say something on the copyright page.
Like I said, I am only 14 and I have read all of your previous books and saw the movie HOW TO DEAL in only about 1 month. Your books are actually the thing that got me to be a reading fanatic. I became a reading fanatic in December 2010 and since then I have read a little over 250 books.
I am completely sorry for any and all of the grammatical errors that I made. Same with any and all of the spelling errors.
I don’t know how else to reach you, Sarah. But will there ever be a “Someone Like You” part two? I literally fantasize about it. The day it came out I would go to purchase it. Please please consider it! I am in love with the book and would love how baby Grace impacts Scarlett and Halley. Or how Macon and Halley turn out. Keep writing!
My kids went to see Batman last night. I have a 20 year old and a 17 year old. I didn’t want to let them go. My sweet, sweet 20 year old daughter told me she wouldn’t go if I didn’t want her to. I told her I didn’t – but that she should go because we can’t live in fear. You hug them, you kiss them, and you love them. Then you do it all over again. She came in to my room a little after 1am and told me they were home. I pulled her close and inhaled. I get to breath in the sent of my children today. For that I am grateful.
Enjoy every moment with your daughter. I have and continue to do so. Every age has been perfect with my kids. Even when they were really bad. And their never really bad. Have a great week Sarah. Love your books!
Sheri from Colorado.
You know in my opinion, the Moon and More is a really nice title.
Hello Sarah and everyone else!
it is my first time replying to any of your posts and let me tell you, i love the way your words make me think. I love your books, i began reading them my freshman year of high school and i got hooked! let me quote you “It makes me want to bar the door and keep my entire family inside and in my sight, close, forever. But you can’t live like that. But how CAN you live in a world where senseless things happen like this? I have no answers to these questions. I guess that we are all figuring it out together, especially on a day like today. And so today, the best I can do is tell the ones I love how important they are to me, be grateful we are all accounted for, and hope for a better tomorrow.”
This is exactly how i feel right now. You never know when it will be the last time you’ll see that special loved one, what your last memory of them will be, your last words to them, all you have is TODAY. Count your blessings and say all you have to say today… You see, i lost my mother just last month, and a HUGE responsibility was brought upon my shoulders (all my choice of course) I will be taking care of my 2 siblings, a 13 yr old and a 6 year old, and also my own that are on their way (19 weeks pregnant with twins) at 20 years old.
She passed away at 43 in a car accident, four days before her birthday. I really appreciate all your books, and your words in this post, because i know, hard as i try not to, that is out of my league what our lives are destined to be, but we can at least enjoy every second of it and rejoice with our loved ones while we still have them next to us.
I can’t wait ’till your books comes out.
Hi Sarah! I didn’t know where else to get in contact with you, I apologize! I’m a librarian’s assistant at an all-girls high school library in Texas. You’re an incredibly popular author at our school (in fact, we’ve got multiple copies of all of your books and can’t keep them on the shelves!), but as the librarian and I gear up for the new school year, we both had a question. Do you have posters, bookmarks, or other library items for your books?
Thank you for all your hard work — you constantly touch the hearts of our students with your books!
Ah, your rooster video made me miss my childhood of growing up on a farm. I woke up daily to the sound of a rooster crowing.
Honest It’s whatever you think, keep thinking about…I don’t think it has has the Dessen Spark yet, but it’s getting there….try going out there:think out the box, the names connect with each others to much….Try something like…The Piano’s Moon,Honor of Flowers,The Laughing Locket,Distant Sea,The Sharp Butterfly…or like Really!! out there…Such as,The Dreamer of the Living Birth,Promise in the Light,The Autumn Mountains. Well good luck, Im sure whatever you use it will be good, I Have Faith