Hi all!
I remembered! Ha! And I have a plane to catch tomorrow so I’m going to post this now.
Maddie, Frances, Julia and a lot of other readers want to know what’s going on with THE ASHLEYS. (One reader said “On your blog it’s all about Blue Bloods this and Blue Bloods that, and I want to know about THE ASHLEYS!”) Is Lipgloss Jungle the last book in the series?
I really, really, REALLY hate to disappoint you guys. But it very well may be. I don’t like to say ‘never’ but right now I don’t have plans to write a fifth book. But I don’t want to leave you guys hanging, so I will write an online short story this summer that will resolve and end the series. I know you want to know what happens to our favorite 12 year olds and so do I! The story will be available online in a few months. I know it’s not great news, but this is the best I can do with my schedule.
A lot of you Ashleys-fans write me and tell me about the cliques in your school and how much they suck. I know. Been there. Outcast’d that. Sigh. The good news in life is that at some point, you will blossom into your own person and find wonderful, fabulous friends who are as wonderful and fabulous as you. And those kids who were mean to you in middle or high school—you’ll forget all about them, or you’ll remember, but it will be funny—because you’ll be at your class reunion and you’ll be this awesomely happy and successful person and those guys who shoved you in the hallways and those girls who never spoke to you are now working at the Burger King or as managers at the GNC.
And I know this because this happened to many people I know including some people I am related to or married to. (Heh.) I believe in late bloomers, in working really hard, in being yourself and finding your niche. I also believe in trying to fit in, having a lot of fun, and getting away with it. I’ve been unpopular and popular at various stages of my adolescence. Popular: you don’t even notice. You’re just hanging out with your friends and having fun. Unpopular: you notice. It stings. It hurts. But it is survivable. And temporary. I just read that Zac Efron was a “drama geek” in high school, and that he was “the most popular of the unpopular guys” Can you imagine? How cute is that? If it happened to Zac, it can happen to anybody. Hang in there, find a few friends who make you laugh, and cruise through it. And if you still really, really want to be popular? In my experience, if you want something BADLY enough it will happen. But you know what they say about wishes coming true…I always think about David Sedaris, who writes so poignantly about popularity in his childhood, (in one of this stories a popular guy hits him with a rock and David doesn’t get mad, he was excited that the guy had noticed him enough to bean him! And his sister, who understands, asks him if he kept the rock). David Sedaris is now one of the most popular writers on the planet, if not one of the planet’s most popular people. You can’t even go to one of his readings—they’re so packed! And he lives in France! Where all writers should live! (You know what I mean: it’s the dream.) So you know, living well really is the best revenge. But I understand. I was 12 once. And I remember what it was like. But I found myself a bunch of fun, smart girls for friends, and let me tell you, we had a blast.
Christen and a bunch of other readers want to know what happened to the Angels on Sunset Boulevard books?
I’m happy to say I’m working on the sequel now, and the first book AND the second will be published in ONE fabulous paperback edition called ANGELS LIE. The book will be available this November! I’m revising this book as we speak. So yeah—I should go back to working on it!
Just a reminder: I’m not going to be answering any PLOT-related questions about the books. So please don’t ask me. I mean, you can ask me—I like to know what you guys are curious about—but I won’t be able to answer them. Because, c’mon, some of the fun of reading a book is finding out what happens, right?
Also, for those in New York, I’ll be at Book Expo this Friday! It is an admission-only event, and I think it’s about $95 for one day admission. A bit high, so I totally understand if you can’t make it. (Although you make up for it in free books!) But librarians and booksellers—looking forward to seeing you!!
May 29, 2009 (1:30-2:30 PM, Table 13)
BookExpo Appearance!
655 West 34th Street
New York, N.Y. 10001
I will be promoting Blue Bloods: The Van Alen Legacy at BookExpo! This is an industry event, so you will need to pay admission (which is high) to get in to see me. But you will receive MANY free books while at the Expo. HOWEVER, we will not have copies of Van Alen at Book Expo because the book is not even printed yet. I will be signing the paperback copy of Revelations. Yeah, I know. But still: free Revelations! Good stuff!
Sorry this is a short Q&A… but I have to pack, am leaving for New York tomorrow and am already feeling sad about leaving the kid! Wah!
xoxo
Mel