Book Signings and Interviews

Thanks to everyone that came out to my book signing at Barnes and Noble this past weekend. Not only was it a great success, but it was also nice to catch up with old friends. Austin authors and friends that dropped by include Cynthia Leitich Smith, Greg Leitich Smith, Jeanette Larson, April Lurie, Brian Yansky, Frances Hill, and Brian Anderson. (Note: Mrs. V did a beautiful job with all the table decorations.)


This morning, I was happily greeted with my interview in The State, South Carolina's capital city newspaper. I'll be back in SC this upcoming weekend, and will be participating in a number of events. I'll be discussing and signing copies of My Life as a Rhombus on Thursday, February 21st, at Barnes and Noble Bookstore in Florence, SC. On Saturday, February 23rd, I'm scheduled to participate in a young adult panel at the South Carolina Book Festival. Alan Gratz, author of Something Rotten (Dial, 2007) and Samurai Shortstop (Dial, 2006) will also serve on the panel; the panel moderator will be Dr. Sam Hastings, Director of the University of South Carolina School of Library & Information Science.

For those of you that haven't checked out Cynsations lately, please do. Cynthia Leitich Smith is hosting the SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series, which so far has included interviews with Tracey Adams of Adams Literary and Steven Chudney of The Chudney Agency. The SCBWI Bologna 2008 interview series will include 32 sequential question-and-answer interviews with agents, editors, art directors, publishers, authors, illustrators, and other publishing types about the international youth publishing scene, and will be hosted at both Cynsations and at Cynthia Leitich Smith's MySpace blog.

Coming to a Book Store or Book Festival Near You

For those of you that don't know, I've got a new book out, and it seems to be doing pretty well. I also have quite a few author appearances scheduled, with more coming in every day. So while all of this makes for a very tired Mr. V, it also makes for a very happy Mr. V, as I love talking to both teens and adults about books and writing.

I was all set to write a little about my SCBWI talk yesterday, but Cynthia Leitich Smith at SpookyCyn seems to have already beaten me to the punch (Thanks, Cyn). For those of you that didn't get a copy of the handout, email me and I’ll send you a copy. Books referenced in the talk include Millicent Min, Girl Genius (Arthur A. Levine Books, 2003) by Lisa Yee, An Abundance of Katherines (Dutton, 2006) by John Green, Hard Love (Simon and Schuster, 1999) by Ellen Wittlinger, and Tantalize (Candlewick, 2006) by Cynthia Leitich Smith.

In other news, things are still rolling at The Brown Bookshelf. We've had some great interviews so far—and we're only 10 days into February. Be sure to stop by and check us out there!

Speaking of the Brown Bookshelf, team member Don Tate has some really good news: he just signed with a literary agent (um...my literary agent), and he just got his contract in for first book as a writer. Yay Don!

Also, I was pleasantly surprised to see Brown Bookshelf co-founder Paula Chase-Hyman's books So Not The Drama (Dafina, 2007) and Don't Get it Twisted (Dafina, 2007) FACE OUT in not one, but two local B&N's.

I've got a bunch of books building up in the queue to be read, including Sweethearts (Little, Brown, 2008) by Sara Zarr and Good Enough (HarperTeen, 2008) by Paula Yoo. Paula actually sent me a great picture of her doing the "Rhombus" pose. (Note to self, maybe this is a contest in the making...)

I would post of picture of me doing the same for her book, but as you can see, that might be a little difficult. : ) Both Sweethearts and Good Enough have been getting great buzz and reviews, and I genuinely like both authors, so I’m really looking forward to reading both books.

Like I said before, I'll be all over the place this month (see the website or see below), with more events coming in April and May. I plan to post a page on my website in a few months with more information concerning school, conference, and festival visits, but for now, just email me if you're interested in booking me and have questions concerning fees or schedule.

And please note, the book signing on Feb 16th is at 2:00 PM, not 11:00 AM as originally indicated on my website.

Feb 16, 2008 at 2:00 (please note time correction):
Book Signing
Barnes & Noble - Round Rock, TX
La Frontera Village
2701 Parker Road Bldg A Suite 700
Round Rock, TX 78681

Feb 21, 2008 at 7:00:
Book Signing and Discussion
Barnes & Noble - Florence, SC Magnolia Mall
2701 David Mcleod Blvd #1200
Florence, SC 29501

Feb 22-24, 2008:
South Carolina Book Festival
Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center
1101 Lincoln Street
Columbia, SC 29201

Feb 29, 2008:
Book Discussion
Gardner Betts Juvenile Detention Center

Apr 26, 2008:
Austin SCBWI Conference
The University of Texas Club
2108 Robert Dedman Drive
Austin, Texas 78712

Because I Almost Always Keep My Promises

A few weeks ago, famed author and Tootsie Fruit Roll enthusiast Sara Zarr tagged me with the Seven Songs Meme. The rules are pretty simple: List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether or not they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your livejournal/blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to. If you want.

So, in no particular order:

1) Tanto Tempo by Bebel Giberto

2) Mais Feliz by Bebel Giberto

I've always been a fan of the fathers of Bossa Nova--João Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim--but it wasn't until this summer that I got hip to João's daughter, Brazilian singer Bebel Giberto. Her music is more Bossa Nova as seen through Pop-stained sunglasses, but it's still good music. These two songs are from her Tanto Tempo album; I'd also suggest checking out Momento, her latest album.

3) Cold December Nights by Boyz II Men



I'm sorry, but at least for me, Christmas just isn't Christmas without some mellow R&B floating through the house. And yes, I'll admit, this isn't really a true Christmas song, but it's Boyz II Men (before they got wack). I'll take it.

4) Step in the Name of Love by R. Kelly

And speaking of soul music, what is R&B without the R? R. Kelly, that is. Whether you call him the Pied Piper of R&B or the Urinator, you have to admit, he knows how to crank out a good R&B song. The song above is the original song, you can find the remix here.

5) Death Around the Corner by Tupac

I spent part of my semester as Vermont College studying poetry, and the more I read it, the more I realized how truly talented Tupac Shakur was at poetry. Me Against the World has always been my favorite Tupac album, with Death Around the Corner being my favorite song. It's on the dirty side, though, so I figured that I'd better not link to it. However, if you look hard enough, you can find the song on YouTube.

6) ...And He Gets the Girl by Lupe Fiasco



Coltrane's blogged about this artist quite a bit, so I won't add much except to say that I love his work, and I love this tribute video someone created on YouTube.

7) Good Enough by Evanescence


I'm not a big fan of Amy Lee's Goth look (she looks like she bathes in flour, she's so pale), but she can write a damn good song. Good Enough is one of those "all emotion, all the time" songs that I really like. Plus, the song reminds me of the main female character in my current WIP (which I'm kinda sorta but not really close to finishing). I don't like the video, but I am glad she cut that bs piano intro at the beginning of the song.

Hope you enjoyed the picks. If you want to play, consider yourself tagged.

Here's to a Happy 2008!!!

Keeping it real?

I woke up this morning and found this in my blogger comments:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Blurb from Ellen Wittlinger":

"Without a bit of preaching..." - Why is it whenever anyone dares to take an unpopular position on a controversial moral topic in our society, their ideas are described as didactic, dogmatic, preachy, or any other apparently negative label? With all the destructive sexual activities and misinformation plaguing young adults in America, it would be immensely helpful if those with the power of the pen would use their gift to steer some attitudes in the right direction rather than be content with "keeping it real".

Dear Anonymous (if you're reading this),

I tend to ignore anonymous comments, but this one is actually interesting, so I plan to reply...but not today. I'm sorry, but I'm just too swamped with other things right now to reply, especially when I don't even know who's making the comment. However, you may want to drop a line to my editor; I'm sure he'd love to hear your thoughts on this matter. In addition, I would suggest emailing my friends as the AS IF blog; they commonly deal with issues such as yours. And of course, I have a lot of writer-friends, and they are welcome to post a reply of their own, if they wish.

And Anonymous, just for the purposes of discussion, could you please post a few books by authors that you consider to "use their gift to steer some attitudes in the right direction rather than be content with 'keeping it real'"? Thanks.

Pie Charts, Footnotes & Doodles - Oh My!

Yours truly has an article in this year's Writer's Digest You Can Write for Children Magazine titled "Pie Charts, Footnotes & Doodles -- Oh My!" The article is about how to best include supplementary items (such as footnotes) in your fiction without alienating the reader, and includes advice from a number of best-selling and award winning authors, including Ellen Wittlinger, E. Lockhart, and Lisa Yee.

FYI -- I'll be giving a presentation on the same topic at the February Austin SCBWI meeting.

15 Things

15 things that were on my mind this morning:

1) No matter how much people want to deny it, race is still an issue in the United States. Just ask anyone in Jena, Louisiana.

2) I wonder if people will think I wrote a pro-abortion book. I wonder if people will think I wrote an anti-abortion book. I wonder if anyone will really care.

3) Who am I going to put in my fantasy football line-up now that Steven Jackson is hurt?

4) Who am I kidding--I don't have time for fantasy football. I don't even have time to mow the yard.

5) Oklahoma lost, but at least not as badly as Texas.

6) I'm really digging this new Jill Scott cd. Not as good as some of her old stuff, but still pretty solid.

7) Why can't I finish Righteous? It's been like, two years since I started it.

8) That being said, do you ever get the feeling that something's going to be really good, once you finish it? That's the feeling I get every time I work on Righteous. I promise, whenever I'm able to get it out there, it'll be worth the wait.

9) What the hell am I going to work on next semester?

10) How much sleep will I be able to get this month?

11) If you haven't read Story of a Girl yet, you should run to your nearest bookstore and buy it today.

12) I got a letter from Freeman's XO a few weeks ago. It kind of depressed me, but only for a little while. I wonder if that's a good or a bad thing.

13) Is it vain of me to say that I think My Life as a Rhombus is a really good book?

14) I worry a lot about my Vermont College classmates. I hope they'll all be back next semester.

15) I spend way too much time thinking about things that I can't control.

Missing In Action

I got a message from Miss P today saying that she hadn't heard from me in a while. I checked the date on my last post and realized that it has been a while since I've dropped in. Things have been really busy and stressful here for the past month, but finally life returned to somewhat normal this week.

So let's see, what have I forgotten to tell you guys....

1) Remember when I said that Mrs. V liked my face better without the beard? Well, apparently, when Mrs. V said, "I really don't like the way your beard feels," what she actually meant was, "I really don't like the way your beard feels, but I like it a lot better than how you look without the beard, and I really don't think you should cut it."

Unfortunately, I didn't realize any of this until after I shaved. Which only proves that husbands should not try to please their wives.


2) I saw Ocean's Thirteen. Not as good as Eleven, but a hell of a lot better than shit on a screen Ocean's Twelve. And really, George Clooney is pretty damn cool. I think I have a man crush on him, because suddenly I have the urge to walk around in a tuxedo and drink scotch and say cool shit that doesn't really make sense (but still sounds cool).


3) I found a nice, inexpensive desk for $85 at Eurway (it was a floor model - regular price is $219). It's constructed of durable melamine laminate (which I think is just a fancy word for plywood). But it's a lot better than the current $50 desk that I bought from Staples six years (and four moves) ago.

4) I've decided that I think I want to write a three book series. Now I just have to figure out what the series will be about.

5) I start my first residency at Vermont College in a week!!

Chillin' at the Crib

I'm finally back in Austin after my two month stint in Hell Dallas, and I must say, it's great to be back home. Not that I really dislike Dallas, but it sucks to be living out of a suitcase for 8 weeks. And while I like the Baymont Inn, it doesn't exactly provide a superior living experience.

The worse thing about being away from home (you know, other than not being able to see Mrs. V so much) was that it was almost impossible for me to get writing done. Yeah, I tinkered on a few projects, and I did some editing, but I may have written 3 pages of new material. And that wouldn't be so bad, expect that I'm enrolled in this MFA program, and I kinda get the feeling that they expect me to write.

Hopefully in another few weeks, I should be able to unveil the cover to My Life as a Rhombus. Andrew sent a mock cover the other day, and believe me, Flux has once again cranked out another outstanding cover.

And in closing, I just re-watched Ocean's Eleven on TBS. I'm convinced--George Clooney is the coolest white guy in America (the other guy's pretty cool as well).

What's in a Name - Part Deux

Coltrane Jenkins made a post a few days ago about our intent on starting a group blog. In addition to having trouble with finding the time to start another blog (note my three week gap since my last post), we've also been struggling with potential blog titles. He listed the top 10 rejects. Here are 5 more.

1) Don't Eat the Yellow Snow. Really, is there any point in explaining this one? I kinda liked it, but Coltrane thought it was crass.



2) The Kobayashi Maru. The Kobayashi Maru (as shown in Star Trek II) is a training exercise that all Starfleet command-track cadets must take--it creates a "no-win scenario" and is meant to test a cadet's character. Captain Kirk successfully beats the test by reprogramming the simulator, and was awarded a commendation for original thinking. As Kirk would say later in STII: "I don't like to lose."

What this has to do with blogging, I don't know. I just think it's a cool name.


3) We Heart Soledad O'Brien. In the spirit of one of Coltrane's favorite blogs, Kissing Suzy Kobler, I suggested that we name our blog in honor another journalist: Soledad O'Brien. And while I know I should be highlighting all of Soledad's class, dignity, and intelligence, let me just be honest -- she is FINE, FINE, FINE! (Any techno-geeks remember her from MSNBC's The Site? I know I do.)

I think this title would have really worked, that it, until CNN kicked her off their morning show. The bastards.

4) Eating Cold Chicken Will Give You Worms: My father claims he never said this, but I promise, when growing up, hearing this phrase was a given. For some reason, my father took offense to me and my brother eating cooked poultry foods without heating them up. Of course, my father was of the belief that if you didn't burn your food, it was still raw. To date, I have never seen the man order a steak any less cooked than "well-done".

And since we're speaking of inedible foods...

5. World's Finest Chocolate: I know, Coltrane's already listed this on his blog. But really, this stuff is so tough and so bad, it's worth mentioning again. If all of mankind was destroyed in a nuclear catastrophe tomorrow, the only things left standing would be cockroaches and mounds upon mounds of World's Finest Chocolate. It's actually kind to call this stuff chocolate--rather, it's more like a non-biodegradable brick.

A New Look

As some of you know, I've been in Dallas for the past four weeks, doing some work for our office up here. It's mainly field work (inspections), so I haven't been doing much shaving lately. As I stared at my Unabomber beard in the mirror this morning, I started to wonder if it was time for me to sport a new look.

When I first grew my beard three years ago, I was mainly trying to look older. I have a lot of responsibility in my day job, and the last thing I wanted a client saying was, "He's how old?" Thus, I decided to pull a Teddy Pendergrass and grow the beard.

But now that I'm a little older, I'm beginning to wonder if it's time to retire the beard. Plus, Mrs. V never liked it anyway--she said it was hard to cuddle because it always scratched her. (Of course, being that I'm anti-cuddling, maybe I should keep the beard). But if I did cut the beard, what new look should I go with? Here are the options:

1) The clean shaven look a.k.a. "THE DENZEL"

Pros: If I could look a tenth of how cool Denzel looks, it would be worth it. Plus, that'll give Mrs. V a chance to caress my baby smooth skin.

Cons: It'd be a pain in the ass to shave every day. And let's be honest--it'd take a lot more than a smooth face to look as cool as Denzel.

2) The full goatee a.k.a. "THE ANGRY BLACK MAN"

Pros: Sporting this look is just like hanging a sign around my neck that says, "Don't f@#$ with me."

Cons: If I don't shave it regularly, I'll end up looking like Jamie Foxx from Miami Vice.

3) The Van Dyke a.k.a. "THE CHAPPELLE"

Pros: I used to sport this in college, so I'm used to it.

Cons: I also used to drink Amaretto Sours and eat Ramen noddles in college. Some things aren't worth revisiting.

4) The Soul Patch a.k.a. "THE HERO"

Pros: Hiro, Phil Jackson, and R. Kelly have been seen sporting it. Why wouldn't I want to be like them.

Cons: A fictional superhero, a 66 year old man with a bad hip, and "the Urinator" sport this. My wife would never sleep with me again.

Two good blog posts

1) There's a great interview on the Flux Blog with Jennifer Laughran, a buyer for Books, Inc in San Francisco.

2) My brother and his wife just had daughter #2. She's very pink. He wrote a hilarious post on his blog about childbirth, Enya, and 24.

Goodbye, Old Friend

Just as Florida lost James and Kirk lost Spock, I have lost one of my closest friends.

After 5 good years, my printer has died.

After a laptop/computer, I think a printer is one of the most important technology-based tools that a writer needs. As most authors can attest, words looks vastly different on paper as opposed to on the screen. Things that I'm blind to (like overuse of words) are much easier to catch while looking at a hardcopy of a manuscript.

Anyway, my printer (a Brother 1440) was a workhorse for years. She printed all of the invitations, programs, and reply cards for my wedding (all on cardstock). She printed my sister's wedding invitations. And she carried me through two full manuscripts. By my estimation, she printed out over 60,000 sheets of paper, not including all of the cardstock and stuff associated with miscellaneous projects. Actually, the last thing she printed out was my final edited copy of My Life As A Rhombus.

Good-bye, my friend. Live long and prosper.

Treading Water

I'm still here, still breathing--I've just been hella busy trying to finish up this manuscript for Super Cool Editor Guy. Authors tend to agonize over every last little word, so being that my manuscript tops out at over 64,000 words, I'm doing a bunch of agonizing. A few things before I get back to work:

1) AK has an interesting post on the Flux Blog today about unreliable narrators.

2) I had a great time at Cynthia's Tantalize Party (even though I got there too late to hear Greg sing). Cynthia really knows how to throw a party.

3) I've figured out what project I want to focus on next...after I finish the edits to Rhombus...after I finalize a readable draft of Righteous...after I finish updating my webpage...

Mr. V Takes Five

I've been tagged by SpookyCyn.

The rules: Each participant shares five little-known facts about themselves. Those tagged are asked to do the same as well as reiterate this guideline. All select five folks to be tagged and list their names. (Leave a comment letting them know that you've tagged them and that they may see your blog as an example.)

1) I'm a twin. Unfortunately for Momma V, she didn't find this out until ONE DAY before Coltrane Jenkins and I were born. We were originally going to be named after our father, but being that they didn't think Larry No. 1 and Larry No. 2 would work, we went without names for three days until they could think of something suitable. Of course, now that I look back on my adolescence, I wonder if Larry No. 2 would have been a kinder name.

2) I tested a home pregnancy test. In preparation for my upcoming novel, I decided to buy a few home pregnancy kits. Luckily for me, I had never seen one up close and personal before. Anyway, I bought a few, and decided to test them out. And I'm glad to say, I'm not pregnant. (There's actually a lot more to this story that I'll have to post one day - including the pitfalls of buying HPTs from Target while simultaneously buying two bottles of red wine, having a wife find an HPT underneath her husband's sink, and having "performance anxiety" while trying to administer the test.)

3) I've broken both of my ankles. But not at the same time. I broke the left ankle trying to jump off a flight of stairs in front of the girls' dorm while at a summer program at FAMU. I broke the second ankle while playing volleyball. (For all of you 16 year-old guys out there, take note: leaping off a flight of stairs does NOT impress girls.)

4) I was the valedictorian of my high school class. Actually, I was the co-valedictorian of my high school class. The other valedictorian...the aforementioned Coltrane Jenkins.

5) I was a huge computer role-playing gamer back in the late 80's - early 90's. My game of choice - Space Quest. The game (and it's many sequels) chronicled the heroics of Roger Wilco, your average, everyday, world-saving janitor. I also placed a lot of Ultima games. This alone probably explains my abundance of geekiness.

Who I'm tagging: Carrie Jones, Christi Lenzi, Lisa Schroeder, Paula Chase Hyman, and Coltrane Jenkins.