~~~Lara Zielin~~~

FAVE LINKEY-POO RIGHT THIS SECOND: A friend posted this Craigslist ad for a huge hamburger bed and I about died! It’s so freaking awesome!

The summer after my first year of college, I worked in a bakery. My hours were from 4:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and, I have to tell you, I’ve never loved a shift so much in my life. The hours were perfect for me. Perfect. I am a morning person, and getting up and completing my work before most people have had lunch is ideal.

These days, that still holds true. I’m most productive at most everything when I attempt it in the morning. Working out, writing, doing my day job — all of it. When 5:00 p.m. rolls around and my husband is just getting ready to come alive, I’m crawling into my jammies. [Funny post-script from the first few weeks my husband and I dated: I liked him soooo much that I actually told him I was a “night owl” so that he’d call me when he got home from being out on the town. We laugh so hard now because it was such a stretch.]

If I had my druthers, I’d write every day from 6:00 a.m. until at least noon. But I don’t have my druthers so unless it’s the weekend, I usually write after 5:00 p.m. during the week. It’s not ideal — not by a long shot — but if I don’t do it then, I won’t do it at all. Recently, a friend and I started meeting on Wednesdays after work at a local coffee shop just to pound out a few paragraphs. It’s so helpful because it’s hard to get motivated to tackle my novel after a long day at work, but at least with my friend I have a standing date where I force myself to get out of the house and pen something.

I’d love to hear from you: Do you write, and if so, when? How do you get motivated to write after a long day on the job? What tips to you have for other writers who are trying to get on a writing schedule?

FAVE LINKEY POO RIGHT THIS SECOND: Without a doubt, it’s Allee Willis’ Kitsch of the Day. I want one of everything in this woman’s home.

So, I don’t know if you guys heard, but The Novel Formerly Known as PROMGATE has a new name. That’s right! It’s now called ….

[drumroll]

THE IMPLOSION OF AGGIE WINCHESTER

Wahoo! I’m actually super excited about the change. And I can’t wait to see the cover. Will let you know when I have a comp to share! In the meantime, please change your pre-order on Amazon.com to TIoAW. Kthnx.

You. Guys. Rule. Thank you all so much for your title ideas over the past two days! There were a lot there to choose from, and even though I can only crown three winners (get it? crown?!), I think many of the titles will be in contention for a while here. I promise, cross my heart, that as soon as we figure something out, I’ll post the new title here first.

The title finalists today are:

Evan for TRIALS, TRIBULATIONS, AND TIARAS

Shelli for just about all of hers but more specifically RIGGED; SCHOOLED; and DIRTY BALLOTS

And Angela for THE SCARLET TIARA

I’ll get your $10 B&N gift cards out to you shortly. And thank you all again for the amazing ideas. Whatever this darn book is called, with support like that, it’s going to rule.

You guys! My publisher is changing the title of PROMGATE and I need your help figuring out what the new title should be!

Since PROMGATE doesn’t really encompass everything the book is about (it’s about more than a dance!), we need something a bit less…literal. The thing is, my editor, agent and I are kinda stumped. We haven’t been able to find a title that fits. So, I’m opening it up to all of you, because I know there are some awesome brains out there!

And there are prizes! The three title finalists will get a $10 Barnes and Noble gift card. And your title could wind up being the name of my new book! Aaaaa!

So, okay, here’s how it works:

• Post your title suggestions in the comments. You can submit as many titles as you want, but you’ll only be entered for the prize once.
• While they’re open to having “Prom” in the title, they’d love to see options that don’t feature it.
• I will work with my editor and agent to pick the finalists.
• The book’s plot/synopsis is pasted below to spark great title ideas. I’m also going to list titles that have a similar sound/feel to what we’re going for.
• You can email me at new [dot] zielind [at] gmail [dot] com with questions. K? K.

Synopsis for the Book Formerly Known as PROMGATE:

Is Aggie’s high school ready for a pregnant Goth Prom Queen?

 Sixteen year-old Aggie Winchester couldn’t care less about who’s elected prom queen—even if it’s her pregnant Goth-girl best friend, Sylvia Ness. Aggie’s got bigger things to worry about, like whether or not her ex-boyfriend wants to get back together and whether her mom will survive cancer.

But like it or not, Aggie, soon finds herself in the middle of an unfolding prom scandal, largely because her mom, who is the school’s principal, is rumored to have burned prom ballots so Sylvia won’t be elected queen. Compelled to investigate, Aggie finds out more than she bargained for and wonders if the election could be dirty on both sides.

* * *

Other things to note about PROMGATE:

The main character, Aggie, isn’t so sure she loves being Goth. She does it because her best friend Sylvia is Goth and looking dark and menacing has helped her out of a few scrapes. But at the end of the day, Aggie is really trying to figure out who she is. Aggie also loves bass fishing, which her dad forced her to do, initially, but now she kind of digs it. Not that she would ever tell anyone that. She pretends to hate it so no one knows the truth.

Please also note, I’m not sure the publishers are digging the word “Goth” in the title. Not that we can’t consider titles with that word, it’s just that they don’t seem to be jumping for joy when they read it.

Here are some other titles we dig, which might help inspire you:

WINTERGIRLS

FEAR OF FALLING

THE SIX RULES OF MAYBE

THE FORTUNES OF INDIGO SKYE

THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN

AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES

LOVE AND OTHER FOUR-LETTER WORDS

STORY OF A GIRL

ONCE WAS LOST

Thank you, GOOD LUCK and I am already pumped about all your ideas!! xoxox

FAVE LINKEY-POO RIGHT THIS SECOND:  Awkward Family Photos has been around a long time now, but the site has grown into something pretty extraordinary. Get ready to LOL if you visit.

I haven’t posted much lately because I’ve been editing PROMGATE. My brain is fried. And so, because I have nothing else, I give you more pictures of me wearing Bumpits. Did you know their tagline is “from flat to fabulous”? I can think of something else that could have applied to when I was in junior high.

I love Bumpits!

See how much?

Do you have a Bumpit image too? Email me at new [dot] zielind [at] gmail [dot] com and I’ll share it!

FAVE LINKEY-POO RIGHT THIS SECOND: Oh, man, there are so many good ones right now, but I think this video of Heidi Montag’s interview with Access Hollywood after her 10 (10!!) plastic surgeries is straight up awesad (that’d be awesome and sad). I mean, she almost died … like Michael Jackson. Oh, and her new album supposedly is as amazing as Thriller. Sigh. If that doesn’t trip your trigger, though, here’s a toad that likes to be petted. Aw.

Since it’s been a while since I’ve blogged (sorry!) I thought I’d give a general update on where things are at, book-wise. Because, you know, that’s what all the cool authors are doing.

Ah-hem. Currently, I’m hard at work editing my second novel, which, in case I haven’t shouted it from the mountaintops enough, is called PROMGATE. I just checked Amazon.com and it’s not up there yet — probably because it doesn’t come out until 2011. If you search PROMGATE on Amazon.com, it spits out a book about fine particle emissions. I don’t know what those are but … ew.

Anyway, as you may recall from my video Editing Letter, editing novels is not my favorite thing. At all. I am really struggling right now with character motivation, but because I have a good editor and smart friends, I think I’m going to figure out a way to make this work.

It’s just … can I be honest? I read books by the amazing Laurie Halse Anderson and Laura Ruby and I think — dearlordbabyjesus, they are so good. How am I ever going to get to be that good? It’s kinda stressful, ya know?  (On the bright side, at least my name also starts with L.)

I guess this is what they call it when that little thing calls self doubt creeps around the corner and peers at you. Wuddup, self doubt. I’m Lara. I’ve seen you before. And I know how to make you go away. It’s a little four-letter word I like to call W-O-R-K. Which I’m off to get done.

PROMGATE is going to rock the house, y’all. Once I get past this little hump.

I’m just saying.

It’s the WIN A SWEET, SWEET BLUGGIE contest!

Okay, you know you totally want a Bluggie: a Snuggie with bling.

So how do you get one? I’ll tell you!

1.) If you haven’t already, watch my Snug Life video!

2.) Forward the video to a friend, RT the link, or post it up on your Facebook page.

3.) Use @larazielin in your RT or leave a comment here to let me know how you passed along the magic that is Bluggie.

That’s it! That’s all you have to do to to be entered win. But, let me just tell you — this isn’t any old Bluggie. This Bluggie will have your name emblazoned on the front, so that it’s customized to your own pimpocity levels. It will have tons of bedazzling sparkles that will make you stand out in a lineup. It will be, in a word, the greatest Bluggie ever. It will be YOUR Bluggie.

So please, forward the Bluggie vid widely, and RT or comment here when you’re done. The contest will end on January 10, with a winner chosen Monday, January 11.

Badass needles forevah!!

FAVE LINKEY-POO RIGHT THIS SECOND: This clip reminds us all that David Hasselhoff almost solely ended communism and brought down the Berlin Wall. Watch for the firework circa 3:20.

Sarah Quigley and I were in our alumni magazine, the Carleton College Voice! Granted, it wasn’t the feature we were hoping for, but we were in it. In the back. Next to academic publications. But still. Lookey!

Okay, one more day of Kathy love. I can’t help it. Her book is awesome, AND she has a new film, which she talks about here on Jimmy Kimmel. Brilliant.

Congratulations to DeDe, who left a comment on Rhonda Stapleton’s awesome post and won a $10 Dunkin’ Donuts gift card!  Thanks everyone who participated and, never fear, there are more opportunities to win tomorrow. Why, you ask? Because DONUT DAYS is finally released tomorrow, that’s why! Aaaaa!!

In case I haven’t mentioned it enough, the amazing and incredible Melissa Schorr, author of GOY CRAZY, will be posting here on the book’s launch day. For me, it’s the perfect way to send DONUT DAYS into the world because Melissa’s book was such an inspiration to me.

I’m also doing a few guest posts and interviews on other blogs. Here’s one at reviewer Jessica Marie’s site, and I was also interviewed by the Divining Wand, which you can read here.

Thanks to everyone who’s let me ramble on their interwebs space. You guys rock.

Till tomorrow then! Squee!