This Is Teen

Last night I hung out with my critique partners at the First Novels Club and our other amazing friends, Jenna and Lillie, plus the staff at Children's Book World in Haverford, PA. Most importantly we all hung out together for This Is Teen, one of the cool brainchild's of Scholastic that brings awesome YA authors together to talk and hang out with us.

That meant we got to chill with Jeff Hirsch, Coe Booth, and Elizabeth Eulberg. All of whom were awesomesauce. And I took a lot of pictures.

Me and FNC Sara

Jenna and Lillie

First Novels Club: Sara, Janine, Donna, Me

Elizabeth Eulberg, Jeff Hirsch, Coe Booth

Fashionizing

Then at the end of the night, I was asked to read a few arcs for the store.

You guys...I feel like the future of civilization is my hands.

Nano Write Dropout

Forget the dunce cap. Just give me a pink wig and call me Frankie Frenchie. In honor of my dropping out of Nanowrimo this year...I wrote you a song. You're welcome.

And it's to the tune of this!


Your story sad to tell,A writer ne'er do well,Most mixed up non-delinquent on the blog!Your future's so unclear now,What's left of your career now?Can't even get a trade in on your twitter!
Angels: (La lalala lalala lalala...)
Nano Write Dropout,No 50,000 day for you.Nano write dropout,Missed your midpoint and flunked chapter two!Well at least you could have taken time, to plot and writeyour scenes up,After spending all that time to make your profile and put your picture up! 
Writer get moving (Writer get movin),Why keep your feeble hopes alive?What are you proving (What are you provin)?You've got the dream but not the drive.
If you try to up your word count, you'll just be breaking all the rules.Turn off the internet now and try writing something cool! 
Nano Write Dropout! (Nano Write Dropout)Hanging around on FacebookNano Write Dropout (Nano Write Dropout)At least try finishing a book!

And...that's all I got. Did you ever notice that song is LOOOONG?
Anyway, it's ALMOST Thanksgiving--wheee! And for those in Nano still going strong, I'm cheering for you!

Convo Between Me and my Word Count

Nano Word Count: Ummmm, Frankie...you haven't really updated me in a few days.

Frankie: Yeah, soooo?

Nano Word Count: Well, it's kind of embarrassing.

Frankie: You're a word count. What could you possibly find embarrassing?

Nano Word Count: All of the other word counts are growing. A lot. Every day. Sometimes multiple times in a day.

Frankie: So, you're not every other word count. You're your own word count. You're unique.

Nano Word Count: I don't want to be unique, I want to be like everyone else!

Frankie: Trust me, being like everyone else is so not the point of life.

Nano Word Count: Except it's the point of MY life. I exist so that I can increase and one day grow to 50,000! And right now, it's like you're keeping me from puberty!

Frankie: Word counts go through puberty?

Nano Word Count: Yes! All the other word counts are teasing me. They keep showing off how they have five digits and laughing at me for only having four.

Frankie: Ignore them. There's nothing wrong with having four digits.

Nano Word Count: YES there is! Four digits is acceptable for like the first few days, but it's NOVEMBER 11th! You are supposed to be in FIVE DIGITS BY NOW!

Frankie: Hey, don't yell at me! This isn't my fault.

Nano Word Count: YES it is! This is all your fault. If you'd just write more and update me...

Frankie: Well, maybe my novel isn't going so well, and I needed time to regroup.

Nano Word Count: TIME TO REGROUP? TIME TO REGROUP! It's Nanowrimo. You don't have time to regroup!

Frankie: Ok, if you're going to be a punk, maybe I don't want to up your word count.

Nano Word Count: You better increase my word count! Or else...

Frankie: Or else what?

Nano Word Count: Or else I'm going to tell EVERYONE that your personified me to look like we could have an actual conversation but you're actually just talking to yourself. Boo-yah!

Frankie: ....

Nano Word Count: ...

Frankie: Don't ever say Boo-yah again.

Nano Word Count: Update me please?????????

Frankie: I'll take it into consideration.

Children's Book World Author Fest!

Friday night, I made the trip to Haverford, PA to hang out at one of my favorite indie children's book stores! Children's Book World! Basically, they jam-packed the store (which for its size can hold a surprising amount of people) with over 30 local children's writers and illustrators.

And me!

And other people too:-)

And because the night was mostly a blur of meeting people, reconnecting with old friends, and oohing and ahhing over books, I'll just show you pictures.

Plus it's the Monday after Daylight Savings Time. So who wants to read a long blog post?

...

Who wants to see pictures?

Yeah...thought so.

Beth Kephart who graciously posed for me because I liked her outfit!

My super chic and newly hair chopped, CP, Janine from First Novels Club

3/4 of the First Novels Club, Janine, Sara, and me

Spotted: April Lindner (JANE), Eileen Spinelli!!! and K.M. Walton (CRACKED)

Joanne Fritz, awesome blogger, writer, book reviewer and AMAZING indie bookseller!

Spotted: A LOT of people! And in the back...Judy Schachner (SKIPPYJON JONES)

Giving A.S. King the paparazzi treatment

A.S. King realizing she's getting the paparazzi treatment. How cute is she?

Josh Berk...totally cool with my paparazzi ways

Me with Judy Schachner whose books I LOVE reading to my library kids!

And there you go! I hope you enjoyed!

P.S. How freaking awesome was the extra hour of sleep we all got Sunday morning? And then who was sad when it got super dark early and realized...Winter is coming...

Hanging out with Amy Garvey

Can you recognize these writers behind our big COLD KISSed lips?
K.M Walton (CRACKED), Amy Garvey (COLD KISS), Joanne Fritz, Christine Danek, Illene Wong, ME!

So last night, considering it was the first day of Nanowrimo and we all know I never EVER procrastinate and LOVE to get a head start I sat home alone and wrote 3,000 words I drove out to West Chester to hang out with my writer friends and see Amy Garvey, the awesome author of COLD KISS at Chester County Book and Music.

We all had the best time hanging out and talking after Amy answered questions and signed books.

In fact we had so much fun, we all stayed until the very bitter end.

Really. Like the store manager was kicking us out and even Joanne's bookstore powers couldn't keep us inside.

So naturally we all just continued talking outside. In the cold. And then I came home and wrote this blog post.

This means I have a lot of nanoing to do!

Current Word Count=1322

Current Music: The Tudors Season 1 Soundtrack