Lara Zielin

FAVE LINKEY-POO RIGHT THIS SECOND: Kate Gosselin on Dancing with the Stars. Part of me wants her to stay because her horribleness makes for good TV. Part of me wants her gone because her horribleness is … well, just horrible.

On a recent Facebook post, I indicated I liked the word hack. It’s both a noun and a verb. And yes, its various meanings all remind me of Kate Gosselin.

I didn’t think many others would relate to my word love, because maybe it’s just a writer thing, right? But I was wrong! So wrong! A bunch of folks weighed in with their favorite words, making me realize — there are a lot of great words out there! That people dig!

So tell me, what’s one — or two or three! — of yours? For the record, I also think slacks is an awesome word.

(Does that mean I just like words with “ack” in them?)

FAVE LINKEY-POO RIGHT THIS SECOND: My awesome friend Jess made an awesome video about Balsamic vinegar for the Zingerman’s contest. Please watch it and fave it and help her win a trip to Italy. It’s really a fab vid.

So, I made up a joke. And put it on Facebook. But in case you missed it there, I will re-tell it here. Ah-hem.

What do you get when you cross Jersey Shore with Sesame Street?

Snookie Monster!

Bwahahaha.

Best. Joke. Evar.  (Okay, not really, but I am amused.)

OMG, we did it! Thanks to all the awesome, amazing people who commented on the last blog post, we raised $400 for 826michigan! *does the cabbage patch* (<– I’m a white girl. Sue me.)

Thank you, thank you, thank you all from the bottom of my bloggy heart. 826michigan really is the greatest org evar.

And can I just say, some of the comments were awesome. If you don’t mind, I’d like to highlight some of my faves. Because I totally read all 400 of them. Swearsies.

Kristy was one of the first who cracked me up, when her comment contained a list of things she liked:  I love rainbows and unicorns, but most of all, I love unicorns that have rainbows on them! I also love donuts, things that are shiny, brown cars shaped like cubes, chocolate, Peeps, kittens, and puppies. Oh, and books are good, too.

I confused some people with this challenge, apparently. Mortalwind asked: So where do I collect my dollar for this comment?

Sorry, friend. The challenge was to raise money. But your comment totally still counted.

Evan decided his comment should quote Veronica Mars. And so it did:

Weevil: You know, an 09er could come in here with tea leaves and a Ouija board and they’d send out a SWAT team. It’s time for plan B.

Veronica: Not just yet, Dirty Harry.

Weevil: In case you haven’t noticed, I ain’t no mick cop.

Veronica: Uh, okay. Dirty Sanchez?

Bob also decided a quote was appropriate, and he gave us a super awesome, super deep one from Bruce Lee: “Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend.”

I think the most famous people who commented were local Michigan Public Radio celebs Charity Nebbe and Jen Guerra. If I’m wrong about that, you can email me to tell me you’re famouser.

Matt, whoever he is, referenced Dr. Who in his comment and therefore has my enduring respect and admiration: Go time travel! I hope you get a TARDISful of comments.

Amber took the time to say she disagrees with me, and Matt by proxy: No offense, but time travel is not nearly as awesome as broccoli.

Ryan, I think in reference to my Lolcats love, told us about his strong dislike of cats. And apparently Margaritaville: Full disclosure. I do not like cats. They poop in boxes in houses. What?! How is that acceptable? I don’t poop in a box. Rule: Poop should not stick around any longer than it needs to, and poop should not be hanging out in a sandbox in one’s home, like itty-bitty Jimmy Buffets.

Steve K. pointed out why we all need orgs like 826michigan by highlighting an error in my initial post: Er, authors WHO (not THAT) encourage other authors… Also, Steve, this is why all writers need editors.

And Chrissy highlighted how, while some things are awesome, some things are amazing, and 826michigan falls into the latter category: Yes, there are some things that are awesome. This is true. There are also many things that just leave you in amazement. This is the staff at 826michigan. The volunteers at 826. The creativity and madness that provides the backbone of this place rests in dedication of the purest form.

On that note, I really just want to say thank you all again for being so hilarious, creative, and cool — 400 times over.

xoxo

Some things that are awesome: 1.) Time travel 2.) Lolcats, and 3.) Authors that encourage other authors and readers to raise money for literacy-minded organizations! Like the amazing Jennifer Hubbard, author of THE SECRET YEAR, who has organized a wonderful, fabulous blog challenge! In which I am totally participating! Here’s how it works:Between now and March 27, I will donate $1 for every comment posted to this blog. $1! For every comment! The money will go to support 826michigan, an organization founded by David Eggers that’s dedicated to helping kids cultivate a love for writing. The goal is 250 comments and $250 We got another $100 $150 in sponsors! That means we need 350 400 comments! Tell your family and friends, PLEASE. We need more comments!$400 for 826michigan or bust! Since writing doesn’t pay that much and I can’t fund the entire $250$400 solo, I’ve reached out to friends to help me with this challenge and they’ve answered the call. The first 50 comments (and $50), will come from yours truly. But after that, I have some kick-butt sponsors:

• Comments 50 to 100 are sponsored by Jim Ottaviani and Kat Hagedorn. Jim is a nonfiction comic book writer extraordinaire, and his recent book, T-Minus, about the race to the moon, was featured in the New York Times (the Times! Squee!). Kat is a pop culture maven whose book reviews and movie reviews are thoughtful and entertaining (want to see a review of The Hurt Locker in 18 words? Kat’s your gal).
• Comments 101 to 150 are sponsored by the creative team of Colleen Newvine and John Tebeau. Colleen blogs about finding meaning in your work and life, and John creates awesome artwork that adorns most walls in our house. And should adorn yours. Just saying.
• Comments 151 to 200 are sponsored by the best agent in the world, my agent, Susanna Einstein. I love her. She gets me. She also likes it when kids read and write. Win, win, win.
• Comments 210 to 250 are sponsored by Susannah Nichols, an English teacher in Southeastern Michigan and soon-to-be-finished-with-her-debut novelist. Since she’s around kids all day long (and trying to infuse them with a love of words), Susannah was totally set to support this challenge.
• Comments 251 to 300 are sponsored by Jay S. and family. Thank you, Jay!
• Comments 301 to 350 are sponsored by the awesome H.T. Reikels, who has a blog, The Bodhisattva Beat, a prog rock review site where you’ll get to read insights on bands you might already love or learn about some new ones you might want to check out.
• Comments 351 to 400 are sponsored by Kelly O’Connor McNees, whose debut novel, The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, hits shelves April 1. She also has a hilarious book video featuring people losing their sanity over Little Women.

Are you interested in sponsoring comments? It’s not too late! Just email me at new (dot) zielind (at) gmail (dot) com. If not, no problem – just be sure to leave a comment instead! Sorry, I am officially closing off the sponsorship. If you’re interested in donating to 826michigan directly, please do. It’s easy to send a check, or even sponsor your own blog challenge! Oh, but before I turn you loose to comment, here’s a tiny bit of fine print: One comment per person please. And if you don’t know what to say in your comment, “I love 826michigan” will do nicely.Also, I’m not the only one doing this. Jennifer, because she is awesome, has a whole host of people supporting libraries and literacy organizations all over the country. You can help them out by visiting them and leaving a comment! For a complete list of participating bloggers, visit the writerjenn blog at http://writerjenn.livejournal.com/Thanks for all your help – now get to commenting!

FAVE LINKEY-POO RIGHT THIS SECOND: Everyone should become a fan of the Spank and Ginger Show. These ladies are hilarious. Also, they have the inside scoop to all things Nathan Fillion and Castle and Firefly. Win!

I am in the throes of editing PROMGATE right now, which is not my favorite thing. I mean, the end product is (and my editor has given me great direction), but it’s just not a laugh riot. So, I’ve decided instead to think about five things I love and that make me awesomely happy no matter what. I promise to leave cheese off the list because it’s a given. Ah-hem. Here goes:

5.) Target. Need toilet paper? They have it. Want an awesome new candle and maybe a scarf? They have that too. Want to squee at the cute bedding and household items? Target lets you! Oh, Target, Target, Target — you have it all. If I could marry a store, I would marry you.

4.)  Destination Truth. Mmmm…Josh Gates. Yummo. Also? He’s hilarious in the bestest, nerdiest kind of way. While exploring caves, jumping into water, or hunting ghosts, he’ll reference LOTR, Star Wars, or National Lampoon’s Vacation. If you’re not watching this Syfy show, I can’t recommend it enough.

3.)  Looking at cute animals. I love petting and cuddling my puppy and kitty (well, okay, just the puppy because the kitteh has the personality of Naomi Campbell), but when I’m sitting at my computer and can’t access them, I love looking at every conceivable creature online at sites like F-U Penguin and Cute Overload. And I love giving to organizations that help all creatures great and small. If I could be a vet I would (except the whole science and guts part — ewww). Animals are awesome.

2.)  The Entertainment Weekly Bulls-eye. Every issue, in the back of the mag, they have this pop culture snapshot in a funny, easy-to-read format. From what people wear, to Mrs. Garrett pwning the Best Documentary Short at the Oscars, to Kate Gosselin’s bad hair choices, the bulls-eye has it all!

1.) Cheese. Lush massage bars. Okay, seriously, if you’ve never tried these, you must! They’re solid, but when you rub them on your hands and/or body they warm up and moisturize you in the most perfect, awesome-smelling way. Lush uses all natural products and they’re a super responsible, friendly company. I’ve tried and used a lot of their stuff, but the massage bars are the best!

[Happy girl image courtesy of http://www.christysclipart.com/]

FAVE LINKEY-POO RIGHT THIS SECOND: This combination of Walker, Texas Ranger with Haley Joel Osment and Keyboard Cat. I laughed so hard the first time I saw this, I cried. Literally.

I love the cover of my book and think the girl on it is an awesome representation of my main character, Emma. I didn’t think I’d want or need to see another one …until now.

The awesome Realm Lovejoy crafted this picture of Emma and posted it as part of an interview I did. I loooove this image! Truly. I know it’s so different from my cover but somehow, it’s still totally Emma to me.

You can read the full interview over on Realm’s blog and learn more about how Rob sprayed me with a hose when we filmed “Editing Letter.” Because he totally did.

FAVE LINKEY-POO RIGHT THIS SECOND: So, apparently Speidi is no more, and Heidi Montag has chosen a new manager. Who is psychic. This is funny enough in its own right, but on the View, Whoopi gives it her own hilarious spin.

If you’re not a fan of Book Trailers for All on Facebook, please become one! This site has a whole host of trailers, some made by the authors and some made by fans of the books. And you know what else this site has?

A trailer for DONUT DAYS made by someone who’s not me! A librarian in Flower Mound, Texas (looooove the name of that city!), made it without me begging her to. Can you even stand it? My fave part might be the insert of the Harley. My editor loves who she picked for Jake. Hee.

Thank you, June!!

FAVE LINKEY-POO RIGHT THIS SECOND: I have seriously watched this, an amalgamation of every movie you’ve ever seen ever, five times at least. I love it! So funny. And these guys have a movie at South by Southwest. Win!

I spoke with my lovely editor yesterday and we talked about the next round of changes to PROMGATE. I am going to get started, and soon, with the goal to have the changes wrapped up quickly. With any luck, the book will come out in spring 2011, which is only a year away. I am freaking out because that is so stinkin’ awesome.

As a follow-up to our conversation, she sent me a story about a teen who was denied admittance to her prom because of her sexual orientation (she’s a lesbian who wanted to take her girlfriend to the dance). I’m pasting the story below. And here’s my thought on the whole thing: the prom story that inspired my book happened more than fifteen years ago, and you’d think that society would have evolved a bit more since then. But it’s clear from this story that small towns may always have a small-town mentality, and that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Have a look at the story and let me know what you think:

McMillen said she feared she would be thrown out of the prom because “we do live in the Bible Belt.”