Infiltrating the Funeral Parlor

As you may recall from previous posts, I’ve had some varied experiences when it comes to researching my books. And although research can be fascinating, it can also be a little terrifying, not because of the subject matter, but because I’m afraid I’ll get hung up on again. Once while I was on book tour, a woman showed up at the tail end of one of my presentations wanting to interview me. She knew nothing about my books and expected me to answer questions that had all been covered in my presentation. Now she was someone who deserved to be hung up on. I go overboard trying to not be that woman. I read and take notes and compile data and cross-reference and get my facts down and learn the lingo, and when I’m finally to a point where I just can’t go any farther without actually talking to someone, I call. The “call” I made this week was to a mortuary. And because I really, really, really didn’t want to get hung up on, I didn’t make a phone call, I made a house call. Or home call, I guess, because this was a Funeral Home (and Chapel). So okay. I’ve been inside a funeral home before, so it wasn’t the chapel and office and conference room that I was, uh, dying to know more about. It was the back rooms. You know. Where the bodies are kept. Let me take a little aside here and tell you that I finally recognize that I’ve gone about this whole writing career thing wrong. Some authors set their characters in Paris, then Madrid, then London… Trips to these places, for them, are tax deductable! Business expenses! Fun! My characters are homeless. Or limbless. Or living on a couch in a cramped apartment. Or, in this case, infiltrating a funeral parlor. Yeah, I’m an idiot. Anyway, it’s Sammy Keyes that’s getting tangled in this mortuary situation, of course, which, of course, means she’s not going to be happy sitting in the Funeral Chapel. Which, of course, means I’ve either got to make like Sammy and infiltrate the place from the back, or ask for help at the office. I decided to save the back door approach for another time, took a deep breath, and went to the office where I explained to a very pleasant-looking woman that I was a children’s book author and would really appreciate a little help with research I was doing for my latest novel. Now, it’s been very interesting over the years to see the varied reactions people have when I approach them with this request. Annoyed. Insulted. Excited. Surprised. Suspicious. It always feels like a crap shoot to ask, because no matter how I phrase it, the reaction is always unpredictable. It completely depends on who I ask, not how I ask. One thing is pretty standard, though, (well, unless they just hang up on me), and that is, it takes a little minute for what I’m asking to sink in. And then there’s the look of, are you a for-real writer? Anyway, I watched all that click through her mind, and even after I gave her a quick rundown of my publishing credentials and explained that really all I wanted was a tour, I was still holding my breath… especially since there were other people in the office. Men. In serious gray suits. With finely controlled hair. The woman eyed me cautiously and asked how much of a tour I’d be interested in. “As much as you’re willing to show me,” I told her. Then I eyed her and said, “You do embalming here, right?” What’s interesting is, she relaxed after that. Like, okay, this woman understands what she’s asking. After that, she got clearance from the guys in gray, and we made an appointment for me to return at four o’clock for a tour. (There are privacy issues with corpses, and they would all be tucked nicely away by four o’clock.) So okay. Of all the people I’ve interviewed (and places I’ve infiltrated) this whole funeral parlor thing was pretty high on my fear scale. I did not want to do it. I did not want to explain myself. I did not want to be misunderstood—or not given a chance to explain. And how do you explain that you have this character who’s heart is in the right place, but who does stuff like sneak in the back door of a funeral parlor because she’s looking for some guy she’s nicknamed the Vampire because she thinks he may have killed someone and she thinks he works at a funeral parlor? It sounds so disrespectful to the business; to the solemn work of preparing the deceased for their final resting place. But at four o’clock when I returned and let on that I really needed to see the back, the transport vehicles, the embalming room, the refrigerator, and then explained that my character was an impetuous, scrappy sleuth…but that she had a really good heart, that’s when my tour guide started warming up to me. She got a spark and a bit of a mischievous look, and when I met her husband (who’d just finished packing up a body for transport to Mexico), he really got into helping me, too. “She could hide here”… “She could go in through here”… they were kind and helpful and into it, and I left that funeral parlor feeling happy.

And like I had two accomplices. I was definitely not expecting that.

Happy 5th of July

I'm a day late, I know. I wrote an entry last night about Independence Day, our nation as a prisoner of debt, the destructive results of feeling entitled, and how a big step in the right direction would be for everyone to cut up their credit cards. Sort of my plea for a return to earned rewards.

It was on my mind because yesterday was July 4th, but people don't come here to hear me spout off about the economy or politics or shredding credit cards, so I chucked it. Besides, it wasn't very positive, and my overriding philosophy in life is that it's important to focus on the positive.

So let me get back to the things you might like to hear about or have me respond to.

Starting with...lots of comments at last week's posting--I will go back there and reply, promise!

Moving onto...The Running Dream. Yes, it's posted at the on-line bookstores, so I've added an image of the cover here. My editor told me that the bound galleys have been printed, so the book will go out to reviewers soon...even though the book won't be out until January 2011. I love the jacket art of this book, and I'm holding my breath to see if the way this story moved me will translate to the reader. Critics can be so...critical! So I just hold my breath and hope that what's in my head and heart sweeps from the page and into the head and heart of the reader. We'll see!

I received movie posters for Flipped this week. What's interesting to me is the little "Photo Shopped" change. Bryce and Juli's hands are no longer visible on the tree branch. Before they were holding hands, now that's not visible. Their hands have moved to the other side of the tree branch and we can no longer see them. I like it better this way, and that they made this change is very interesting to me.

Also, I have to say, Warner Brothers is being wonderfully inclusive toward me. Aside from sending me a supply of posters for area schools (long story for later), they've included me in their press kit, have done a remarkable book-to-film "featurette" for the e-book, and have invited the four of us to the Hollywood premiere in late July. I will be able to report back to you about what a Hollywood premiere is really like and spin tales from the after-party. Should be fun!

Random House will have me on "Random Buzzers" - sort of an on-line chat that takes place over about 2 weeks starting in early August. I'll give you details as time draws closer. It would be fun to have you join me there.

And meanwhile I'm working away on Sammy Keyes and the Night of Skulls (the 'working title'). It's going great!

Thanks for checking in. I'll see you next Sunday!

Memories

I had a mini-reunion with a few of my friends from elementary school yesterday. We found each other via the Internet, and after a lifetime apart, we met and had the best time reminiscing and getting to know each other for the people we've become; not just the memories we carry.

What's interesting to me is that the things they remember are different than the things I remember. Collectively, though, they help to shape a past more whole than the one I carry in my mind. Kids didn't have cameras or phones or video cameras back then, so what we have for the most part instead is the picture that's shaped in our minds.

My very first published book--How I Survived Being A Girl--was a fictionalized version of my growing years. It was my take, my memories, my fictionalizing. But if one of my classmates from sixth grade had written it instead, I'm sure the story would be completely different. And if every kid in my sixth grade class wrote their own "How I Survived..." we'd have thirty vastly different stories, even though we shared many of the same experiences.

That's really the whole premise of Flipped--two different perspectives on the same story. And I wrote it because I was turned down when I suggested writing "the companion volume" -- the boy's perspective--for HISBAG. Despite being turned down, the idea fascinated me and I decided to start all over with different characters and a different setting...and a different publisher.

When Flipped first came out, people commented that they'd thought that reading the same story from two different perspectives would be redundant and boring, and on the surface it seems that would be the case. It's fascinating, really, how un-boring it can be.

I guess, like real life with a little distance, there comes a point where we appreciate seeing a fuller picture. You've had the experiences, it's good to let other perspectives help you get the most out of them.

Father's Day

My dad died much too young, and it happened to be on a Father's Day. It devastated me and the rest of my (original) family which was already mired in a disaster of a different kind. I'm not going to get into any details, but it was a horrible time for us, and despite our valiant efforts to pull ourselves up and keep on marching, the combined events had a long range negative effect on all of our lives. I started writing as a form of therapy. It was my way of exorcising the demons of unfairness, cruelty, and devastation. It was good therapy, and as time helped heal, my writing somehow evolved into creating funny stories for kids. I guess humor is good therapy, too. This career I have is one I could never have predicted, and since things have turned out so well for me, I've had it pointed out to me that my successes in publishing (and consequently movies) would likely not have happened if I hadn't turned to writing because of the tragedies. In other words, I have my pain to thank for my happiness. I do think that hard times give a person empathy for others. I do think it makes us want to stop and help others, because we remember the people who took time to stop and help us. It makes us understand that the small things, the kind words, the just being there to listen are huge. And I do think that the way I write, the themes I choose, the characters I develop are rooted in the empathy I feel for others, and that that empathy is probably what makes my stories connect with my readers. So maybe there’s an argument to be made that I wouldn’t be here without the events of the past, but the simple truth is, I would trade all my successes to have a different outcome for my family. I’d give it all up to have my dad back.

Luck of the Draw

I want to thank everyone who sent in answers to the little Sammy quiz. If you have won an ARC of Sammy Keyes and the Wedding Crasher, you have been sent an e-mail letting you know you won. So for a lot of you this is a bummer moment. I am sorry! (I sent e-mails to respect the privacy of the applicants, as most of you don't use your names on-line, which is wise.) It's fun to inform the winners, and zero fun to break the news to the people who haven't won. (Again, I'm sorry!) I wish I could give all of you copies!

Actually, there were 5 recipients instead of 3 because there were WAY more applicants than I'd expected, and Random House kindly upped the ARCs to 5.

Not that this makes the rest of you feel any better. (I'm sorry!)

In case you're curious, the answers I was looking for are:

1) (Hotel Thief): After Sammy spotted the thief in the Heavenly Hotel, what action of hers started the turmoil? She waved.

2) (Skeleton Man): Why did Sammy go into the Bush House on Halloween? (INto, not UP to.) The reason was the fire.

3) (Sisters of Mercy): What clue did Gregory give Sammy? The cold carrot

4) (Runaway Elf): Where did Elyssa keep ‘disappearing’ to? The cemetery

5) (Curse of Moustache Mary): What was Lucinda Huntley’s pet? (Penny the) pig

6) (Hollywood Mummy): Name as many “mummies” as you can! Inga, Claire, Lana -- some of you went wild with this, which was cool. But because it was a confusing question to many of you, I gave a lot of leeway with answers. Lana was a play on the British mommy.

7) (Search for Snake Eyes): What is the William Rose Junior High mascot? Bullfrog

8) (Art of Deception): What kind of fair do Sammy and friends meet up at? Renaissance Faire

9) (Psycho Kitty Queen): Who has the same birthday as Sammy? Heather

10) (Dead Giveaway): Sammy and friends go to the end of the year dance dressed as what?Pirates

11) (Wild Things): In the beginning of the book, Sammy has no idea why anyone would bother to save this animal from extinction. Condor

12) (Cold Hard Cash): At the pool party, who has the same swim suit as Marissa? Heather

BONUS:13) (Wedding Crasher): What color are the bridesmaid dresses? Lavender

14) Sammy Keyes Song: “Officer Borsch acts like his squad car’s a Porsche and thinks that all kids are delinquent juveniles...”

By the way, I was very impressed with how many of you got them all right, and laughed out loud at some of the answer add-ons -- like Oinkers in Love! and Heather, of course! or That nasty witch Heather!

Also, it was interesting to me to learn how far away from each other you "Sammiacs" live. There were people from Switzerland, Korea, and South Africa who couldn't participate (I'm sorry!), and those who did send in answers live all over the USA. Because we meet here I think of you as being in the same vicinity. Like, we all hang out in Sammyville, or something. But you're everywhere!

Coincidentally I had to go through the final (?) rewrite (the re-copy-edited version) for Wedding Crasher last week, and those of you receiving ARCs will find the differences between the ARC and the final book very interesting. One suggested change cascades into the need to make other changes. Even in this late state of the process, I wound up changing a name (because of a change in nickname at an earlier go-round). There are more subtle differences too, and for those of you interested in the fine-tuning process of novel writing, you'll be fascinated to compare the differences.

One last thing: Those of you receiving ARCs, PLEASE don't spill too much about the book. I know that will be hard, but I really don't want to wreck the ending for those who can't get the book until October.

Thanks again to everyone!

Blog Tour Finale and Giveaway!

If you’ve been following along on blog tour and this is your first visit to this site, thanks for dropping by! This site is more eclectic than the others on tour, as I’m not a book reviewer. If you explore past postings, you’ll see that I update every Sunday, and that I muse about life, share my writing process, give updates on book and movie projects, and promote Exercise the Right to Read –a free program designed to help schools pursue youth fitness and literacy. You’ll also see that I have a loyal following of readers we call Sammiacs or Cammiacs, depending on their particular passion for the Sammy Keyes series. (I think it’s fair to say that all Cammiacs—those who want to see Casey and Sammy get together—a re also Sammiacs—those who love Sammy Keyes.) These Sammy/Cammiacs that have been chomping at the bit for Sammy Keyes and the Wedding Crasher, which will be released in October. Because this is the final stop in the Sammy Keyes blog tour, I have been authorized by Random House to give away three bound galleys of Wedding Crasher. Know that this is not the final version—there are mistakes, and there have been little threads added in the final rewrite—but the story is pretty solidly the same, and only someone who compares the bound galley to the final version with real scrutiny will notice the differences. After considering how to determine which three people would receive these bound galleys, here’s what we’ve decided: I will pose a set of questions—one from each Sammy Keyes book, presented in order of publication. They won’t be hard, just representative of each title. If you would like to be considered for a bound galley, do the following: 1) Copy and paste the questions (and then answer them) to this e-mail address: mail@exercisetherighttoread.org Put “Wedding Crasher please!” in the subject line. (Do NOT put your answers in the comment section of this blog because you need to…) 2) Include your NAME and MAILING ADDRESS (this offer is only good for people with a mailing address in the USA). This is not a race. You have until Saturday night (6/12) to submit your application. You also don’t have to know all the answers—the top ten submissions will be put into “the hat” from which we’ll draw three names. Winners will be notified on Sunday. So are you ready? Here we go! 1) (Hotel Thief): After Sammy spotted the thief in the Heavenly Hotel, what action of hers started the turmoil? 2) (Skeleton Man): Why did Sammy go into the Bush House on Halloween? 3) (Sisters of Mercy): What clue did Gregory give Sammy? 4) (Runaway Elf): Where did Elyssa keep ‘disappearing’ to? 5) (Curse of Moustache Mary): What was Lucinda Huntley’s pet? 6) (Hollywood Mummy): Name as many “mummies” as you can! 7) (Search for Snake Eyes): What is the William Rose Junior High mascot? 8) (Art of Deception): What kind of fair do Sammy and friends meet up at? 9) (Psycho Kitty Queen): Who has the same birthday as Sammy? 10) (Dead Giveaway): Sammy and friends go to the end of the year dance dressed as what? 11) (Wild Things): In the beginning of the book, Sammy has no idea why anyone would bother to save this animal from extinction 12) (Cold Hard Cash): At the pool party, who has the same swim suit as Marissa? BONUS: 13) (Wedding Crasher): What color are the bridesmaid dresses? (Mentioned on this blog tour.) 14) Sammy Keyes Song: “Officer Borsch acts like his squad car’s a _________ and thinks that all kids are _______________ ________________...” That’s it! Hope you thought it was easy (and fun). And remember—even if you don’t know all the answers, send in what you’ve got. Good luck ! Sunday we’re back to regular updates and musings—I hope you’ll come back then!

Flipped Movie Trailer / Blog Tour Update

As those of you who have been following the "blog tour" know, we hit a few snags last week. I don't have any answers for you, really, as my publicist has been away (on the Junie B. Jones Stupid Smelly Bus Tour, I think!). It looks like Mrs. Magoo Reads (Thursday’s blog stop) has posted the Q&A now, but I have no answers for why Saturday's post isn't up. The good news is that today's Sammy's Q&A is available at : Mundie Moms (http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/), right on schedule. In other good news, USA Today ran a piece on Friday's Life section front page about the Flipped movie. The title is "Reiner goes head over heels for young love" and the on-line issue has a link to the trailer for the movie. It's funny--during this whole (very long and convoluted) book-to-movie process, I've been cautiously optimistic. Very cautiously, actually. But after seeing the trailer, I found myself letting go of caution. I love the trailer! The music's good, it's funny, it moves along quickly, and it gives you a good sense of what the story's about without giving the story away. So often when I see a trailer I say, well, I don't have to see that movie--they just gave the whole thing away. This isn't that way. I think they did a great job. What I find interesting, is that the one little "sexual innuendo" scene in the movie--which includes dialog original to the screenplay--made it onto the trailer. Maybe they're trying to appeal to a broader audience? I've been told that the trailer will be "on Karate Kid" nationwide on 6/11 --meaning that it will show as a preview for audiences attending that movie. I’m definitely going to have to go see Karate Kid! Which is silly, seeing how the trailer is already all over YouTube. If you’re interested, you can read the USA Today article and watch the trailer by following this link (although you may have to wait through the ad…): USA TODAY LINK For those of you who have asked about the casting of Bryce: Yes, in the book Bryce has dark hair and blue eyes, and the actor (Callan McAuliffe) is blonde with brown eyes, but I’d rather have an actor who is as good as Callan than one who looks like my picture of Bryce but isn’t as accomplished. That’s the trouble with moving from book to screen—we all develop our own pictures of what the characters look like (in this case because it was spelled out…) and the actor chosen usually doesn’t quite fit the mental picture we’ve developed. But even if they’d chosen a boy who fit the description of Bryce in Flipped, some people would invariably say, Hey, he doesn’t look like Bryce to me! So that’s the news for now. I hope you’ll check out the trailer and let me know what you think, and that you’ll follow along on the remaining tour dates (here’s hoping for no more “flight” cancellations or delays…). Sunday, June 6th (Sammy is filling in for me at): Mundie Moms (http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/) Monday, June 7th : Library Lounge Lizard (http://www.libraryloungelizard.com/) Tuesday, June 8th: Back home for a final stop here, where I’ll give instructions for those Wedding Crasher ARCs. Thanks for stopping in—I’ll see you soon!