Lara Zielin

I love celebrating milestones, so when The Waiting Sky was finally edited and approved for publication (August 2, 2012 baby!) I wanted to mark the occasion in a fabulous way.

Celebrating 'The Waiting Sky' with Dick and Jane.

As you may know from posts like this and this, Rob and I love to visit antique stores. So when a local store had an old-school Dick and Jane book for sale, I paid attention.

You see, the main character in The Waiting Sky is named Jane, and in some ways the Dick and Jane text fit her perfectly. “Oh, see Jane!” is pretty much what you want to say as she begins to figure out who she is, and to manage the complex relationships around her. The picture of Jane riding off into the distance, leaving Dick behind (heh) is awesome.

I bought the book and had two of the pages framed. They hang side-by-side in my office and I am delighted every time I look at them.

For Aggie Winchester, I celebrated the book’s publication with these Fluevog “Munster” shoes, and I love those too. But the Dick and Jane art might be my favorite. Sometimes the simplest words can have the biggest impact.

Oh, that?

That’s because I’d rather write.

Overdue library books. Entire shopping lists in three categories: kinds of carbs, kinds of wine, and kinds of chocolate. Dust bunnies under every bed.

That’s because I’d rather write.

Thirsty flowerbeds choked by weeds. White trash bags piled like bodies in the garage because I keep forgetting to take them to the curb on Tuesdays. The dog hamster-wheel-whining for a walk. Half-scribbled notes everywhere about plot points. A fridge that I’m not sure I want to open because, dear God what is that smell?

All because I’d rather write.

Closet clutter I should probably organize. Except I'm writing.

Grass so long the city is about to fine us. Bleary-eyed coffee-making in the morning. Bleary-eyed coffee-making at night. Cat litter so turd-packed it could be the surface of a meteor.

Yep. Writing.
Dirty car in need of an oil change? Check.

Crumb-laden keyboard because I take all my meals with Word open? Check.

Piles and piles of laundry in the basement? Check.

Still writing? Check check.

Neighbors have seen me in my jammies at 4:00 because I can’t be bothered to change clothes when I’m on a tear. They’ve seen me 24 hours later in the exact same attire, only now my hair is super greasy and I’m starting to smell. Because I’m writing.

The same CDs have been on rotation in my car for a year because a.) I’m not fancy and I don’t have satellite radio, and b.) every time I think, Gosh, I should totally bring some CDs from the house to the car, it’s totally blocked out in the next 3.2 seconds by a different thought. About writing.

If there was a 12-step program for writing, I would probably be encouraged to join it. But in the end, I wouldn’t. Because that bulb might need changing, and I might just have tuned out what you said while thinking about a plot point, but baby, if this is a disease, I do not want to be cured.

One thing that’s great about books like Marly and Me and The Da Vinci Code is that diverse audiences can get behind them. From art appraisers to auto mechanics, from soccer-coaching dads to entrepreneurial college grads, people from all ranks can get sucked into the story.

Like so many people, I love books about dogs! And horses! And good old-fashioned mysteries. But I didn't write that kind of book when I penned Aggie.

I understand The Implosion of Aggie Winchester may not be that kind of book.

For example, Aggie swears. A lot. The F-word is practically a character in the book, so if you’re squeamish about foul language, leave Aggie on the shelf.

Aggie and her boyfriend do stuff. If you’re a fan of teen chastity and plots that don’t involve questions about sex, put Aggie down.

Aggie makes bad choices. If you want a teen with a strong moral center who knows exactly who she is and makes decisions that reflect that, Aggie ain’t her.

Aggie is flawed. She will probably frustrate you. But she’s also realistic. Aggie struggles. She falls. She effs up in the hugest ways, but she gets back up again and keeps going.

Which is, I think, true to how LIFE actually is. For me as an author, that’s part of why Aggie was worth all the heartache that went into creating her. She was difficult from the word go.

But as messed up as she is, she’s still not beyond redemption.

So maybe she might help teens who are struggling with developing a sense of self, or struggling with friends and boyfriends who don’t respect them, or struggling with finding words to express how they feel or act in ways that reflect who they really are.

Aggie isn’t right for every reader. And that’s okay.

Because I believe she’s exactly right for some readers.

Tonight is the launch of my new book, The Implosion of Aggie Winchester! I’ll be at Nicola’s Books in Ann Arbor at 7:00 p.m. along with authors Saundra Mitchell, Rhonda Stapleton, Christine Johnson, and Aimee Carter.

This is awesome, and I’m super excited. Tours are wonderful, and signing books is great. I love it. But I think the best part about being an author is being inspired. And boy, was I inspired this past Wednesday night.

Considering that a delicious-looking donut can give me goosebumps, I realize this might not seem like much.

But trust me. It was.

I had the great honor of helping out with 826michigan’s first ever “Jump Up and Write-a-Thon,” an event to celebrate books and writing. The bulk of the event was a writing marathon where kids plunked their butts in seats and just … wrote.

For FIVE HOURS.

You might think it was distraction city, but the room was quiet. The kids were focused. And at the end, they shared some of their stories with the group. The prose was amazing.

Fellow Ann Arbor author Will Purves and I were on hand to witness all the incredible work. We got to help the kids out a little — drop a writing prompt or two, encourage them to share — but really we didn’t do much. These kids had writing in their marrow. All they wanted to do was get their words down on paper.

Even after five solid hours of writing, the 826michigan kids weren't sick of prose. Here, I'm reading a bit of 'Aggie Winchester' to them.

I was so honored to be around these budding writers. As I told the audience, I’m not sure I could have kept my butt in that chair for five hours in such a disciplined way.

Later in the evening, I was able to share a little bit from The Implosion of Aggie Winchester. Will read from his book, Fairmont Forever. The kids were into it. After five hours, they still wanted more writing. More books. More words.

These kids were awesome. The event was awesome.

And for me, being THIS inspired? Was priceless.

“Sally Perkins was an ordinary third-grade girl…” begins one of my early works, Sally and the Time Machine. Dickensian in its simplicity, don’t you think? No? Well. Fine.

Anyway. Yes, I made another movie out of it. Yes, you can watch it here. Yes, it is awesome. <– Okay, that last part might be subjective.

Here’s a picture of the original story.

And here’s the video for your viewing pleasure. Really, edge of your seats, people. I swear.

Perhaps the next time you pass a row of bushes, you’ll wonder if the time machine is stashed there. Or…not.

I know I’ve shared with you some of my really bad stories in the past. I intend to keep doing this, because a.) omg they are sooo bad and b.) one of us usually winds up giggling.

But then I realized it would be super fun to make videos out of some of them. Maybe even encourage other writers in the process. Like, yeah, you might write some crap, but that doesn’t mean you’ll always write crap.

Thus, I give you … THE FOX.

Did I mention that I love him?

There is still room available at the Ann Arbor Writers’ Conference (held in conjunction with the Ann Arbor Book Festival) if you’re interested in attending!

It’s this Saturday, June 25, and there will be a wealth of talented experts on hand talking about everything from characters to poetry to query letters. One of them might be me, actually.

You can see the full conference schedule by clicking here.

If you want to just show up the day of, you can — they will be registering attendees on site. And if funding is an issue, they still have a few scholarships available for participants. Just email the director, Jeff Kaas, at: eyelev21 [at] aol [dot] com.

If you have other questions, just leave them in the comments and I’ll be sure to answer them!

Book reviews are like a bit like first dates. When they’re good, you can rave about them and be all like, Zomg, sooo amazing!

When they’re bad, you can shrug and say, Meh, it’s only one, we’ll see.

Either way, there’s no indication about any kind of long-term success. A good review doesn’t mean your book is going to be a best-seller. A bad review doesn’t mean your career is over.

And yet.

Andyetandyetandyet.

It sure feels amazing when you get a great review. I mean, just speaking from the heart here — as someone who really, really likes it when people really, really like my books — it feels fabulous.

And guess what?

Publisher’s Weekly — as in THE Publisher’s Weekly — likes The Implosion of Aggie Winchester!

I’ve pasted their entire review below, and you can also link to it here. Please, please do the happy dance with me because, okay, I know I can’t hang my hat on this long-term, but for right now? I am totally kicking my heels.

One of Zielin’s strengths as a writer is that she really “gets” teens: their voices, angst, and insecurities. Another is that she’s not afraid to throw her protagonists into no-win situations and watch them claw their way out. Aggie Winchester, a junior and self-professed goth, thoroughly resents her mother–who is also the principal of Aggie’s high school, which fuels her rebellious, self-destructive behavior. But then Aggie’s best friend, Sylvia, gets pregnant and is nominated for prom queen, an old boyfriend rears his gorgeous but devious head, and Aggie discovers that her mother has breast cancer. Though Aggie is not always a lovable main character, Zielin (Donut Days) keeps her real and honest. As Aggie heads ever deeper into the hole she’s dug for herself, she grapples with some tough choices. Should she have sex with her old boyfriend to get him back? Should she rat on Sylvia, who may have rigged the prom queen election? How can she make her mother actually listen to her? For teens confronting similar questions, Aggie’s realistically bumpy journey will be welcome, timely, and thoroughly satisfying. Ages 14–up. (Aug.)

Picking a winner for the Implosion of Aggie Winchester contest was tough. All those prom stories and entries? Were amazing. Just totally fabulous. And hilarious. And, okay, a little heartbreaking. You guys really jerked my heart-strings. In a good way.

So it is with much applause and fanfare for all the entrants that I announce the winner is …

Susannah!

The combination of unrequited teen love, a bad four-way date, and an aqua zoot suit totally got me. I was laughing (leaving room for the Holy Ghost, hahaha!) — and also cringing. I love that Susannah also offered a bit about what she’d do differently if she had to do it all over again: lighten up, laugh at it, realize it’s not the end of the world, even though it sure felt like it at the time.

So congratulations, Suz! You’re el winner-o! I’ll get a copy of Implosion to you asap.

Huzzah! And thanks again to all of you for bringing me into the gym and under the lights with you.

Who said nothing in life is free?

Because DONUT DAYS is free! Or at least one copy is. That’s right — you can win a copy from the awesome blog of Christine Marie!

Just click here!

All you have to do is comment to win. You know you want to.

Free DONUT DAYS! Mmmm….reading.