Book soundtracks, Keith Dobson speaks

Hello, hello all, on this rainy January night in New York City.

First of all, I would like to tell you about the new BOOK SOUNDTRACKS.

In an exciting development (I hit the wrong button on iTunes), I discovered that my personal mixes for the books could be made available to the world at large! So I investigated this some more, carefully crafted some song lists, and the soundtracks were born.

So, if you go to the Apple iTunes store, you will be able to find my iMixes for 13 Little Blue Envelopes and the upcoming book Devilish. I realize that no one has read Devilish yet, so this is a bit premature. But you are welcome to listen to the songs and get yourself ready to meet its star, Jane Jarvis.

HOW TO DO THIS: Go to the iTunes music store and click on iMix on the left hand side. From there, simply type "13 Little Blue Envelopes" or "Devilish" into the search field and hit enter. There may be several matches, but you should be able to find them without too much trouble. (I have tagged "Devilish" as "Devilish: the soundtrack to the upcoming novel" because there are several Devilishes.)


Second, I am, at this very moment, putting together the supplement that will go in the back of the 13 Little Blue Envelopes paperback. This is sort of like a book version of DVD extras. There will be a few different things in it, including commentary from a favorite character.

Yes . . . Keith Dobson, not one to shy away from the public, has very kindly offered to take questions. I have told him he is not allowed to talk about anything that happened after the point where the story leaves off. However, he can answer anything about the events in the book, his body of theatrical work, or field questions about his personal opinions on all other matters. And trust me, he has opinions.

So if you have a question you would like him to answer, you can send it along to me at maureen@maureenjohnsonbooks.com. I'll compile the list for His Keithness. I can't guarantee that your question will make it in, but you never know. You have to play to win!

LOVE to the ninja book monkeys

Today, it is time to give it up for the librarians and the independent booksellers.

I realize how dull that sentence sounds to a lot of you—but hear me out. LOVE your librarian. LOVE your independent bookseller. LOVE them for lots of reasons.

Today, I love them because of all the LOVE they have given to 13 Little Blue Envelopes. I’m thrilled to report that Ginny and company have landed on the ALA’s Best Books for Young Adults 2006 list. They also got a nod at the Cuffies, the independent booksellers “off the cuff” awards, as an honorable mention as the best novel for older teens, and . . .

Well, I’ll just copy this next one. I would hate to get the wording wrong.

Book We Could Have Sold with a Better Cover
13 Little Blue Envelopes
("Could someone please stop giving the publishers stock photos of slutty teen girls?")

I definitely want to weigh in on this one, but not before I finish giving the LOVE to librarians and independent booksellers. I promise you, you will LOVE them too when I am done.

Fact: Librarians are tough little monkeys

Librarians LOVE books. Librarians LOVE the fact that we have the right to read anything we choose. They fight for the right to keep books on the shelves—books that some people (for various political/moral/generally dubious reasons) would have removed.

Witness the case of the St. Andrew’s school of Austin, Texas. “Brokeback Mountain” by Annie Proulx (now a movie, as everyone knows) was listed as optional reading material on one of the school’s reading list. On hearing this, a donor offering three million dollars demanded that it be removed.

And what did the librarians (and the school officials) do? They said, “Thank you for your interest. Please take back your three million dollars. We do not compromise our values for money.”

Now, how many people are doing that these days?

LIBRARIANS ARE!

They are silent warriors, librarians! They are like ninjas! When someone tries to ban a book—librarians are there! When someone tries to take away YOUR right to read something—librarians are there! Librarians protect books and knowledge, ensuring that it is passed along to future generations—not burned up or destroyed by the flavor-of-the-week political group.

It’s because of these MAD NINJA LIBRARIANS that most of the knowledge of the ancient world was protected and passed to us. Librarians of the past have put it all on the line. They have defied dictators, protected books from fire and thieves

Is it any wonder that in ancient times, librarians had titles like “Scribes of the Double House of Life,” “Learned Men of the Magic Library,” and “Ordaniers of the Universe.”

No, really. They did. I think we should go back to one of these titles, because they are kind of awesome. And I think they should maybe dress like ninjas.


Fact: Independent booksellers read the books they sell and have opinions

Yes! It’s true! Independent booksellers LOVE books too! They read them. They hang out and talk about them. If they find a book that’s really good, they will tell you all about it.

So when I go into stores like Books of Wonder in New York, I can go up to a salesperson who is passionate about all the good stuff out there. Every time you walk in, you can get want amounts to a FREE COURSE on the new good reads! Which is why Books of Wonder is knee-deep in authors. (That and the fabulous Cupcake Café, with the dancing cupcake statues.)

So, in short . . . all those “quiet” librarians and book sellers out there are kicking butts and taking names.

So give them the LOVE.

Go on.

Admitting you have a problem is the first step

I have an addiction--aside from my addiction to coffee. (Which, sadly, is a real one. Sometimes I embrace it, and sometimes I try to fight it.)

The other addiction is to cookbooks and cooking shows.

I have for many years read cookbooks--for fun. I have quite a collection, which I regularly purge to make room for new ones. And it can be downright embarrassing the way I can find myself totally absorbed into a Food Network show. I don't mean to be. I always think I can watch for just a minute, but then I am hooked. I MUST know how the stew turns out.

So, when I was approached a year ago with the chance to be ON A FOOD NETWORK SHOW--I didn't walk. I ran. I thought I was going to be a part of a large audience. This is how I roped my friend John into going with me. He said to me quite specifically as we were on our way to the shoot, "We're going to be with lots and lots of people, right, Mo?"

And I said, "John, of course. What, do you think we'll be the only ones on the episode?"

We weren't technically the only ones. There was the star of the show. And one other guy. So, we were the happy foursome who made up the entire episode.

John said to me, in a way that only a friend can, "I am so going to get you for this. And you will never see it coming."

I don't want to say which show I was on, largely because over the course of it, I was asked to drink more and more as various shots were re-shot. (It was part of the show! I had to! Really!) I was the only girl, so I had to sit next to the host and react a lot to things he said and did. This got much harder as the day more on. I mean, how would you handle instructions like this:

"Okay, Maureen. Now, [FOOD NETWORK STAR] is going to hold up the vinegar. You sniff it, okay?"

Vinegar makes me sneeze. I tried not to sneeze.

"CUT! Okay, Maureen. That was good. But this time, when [FOOD NETWORK STAR] holds up the vinegar, look him in the eye and smile, okay? But drink some of the beer first."

I drank some beer. Sniffed the vinegar. Tried not to sneeze. Gave the FNS a smile that was also an attempt to hold back the sneeze.

"CUT! Okay. One more time. First, drink the beer. Then bite the sandwich. Nod. Sniff the vinegar while looking at [FNS]."

I tried again. FNS mumbled a joke under his breath. He almost got a facefull of beer, but I managed to hold back the laugh--but I can't imagine what face I was making when I tried to sniff the vinegar again.

It went on like this for six or seven hours. Thankfully, John and I only appear in about four minutes of the whole thing. But still. I will never tell what show it was.

Anyway, I permitted a friend to drag me away from my desk last night, and wound up at a party with the host of a New York show called The Post Punk Kitchen. She's just put out a cookbook, which I paged through while I was there. Let me tell you, as an experienced examiner of cookbooks, this is one fine volume. It's called Vegan with a Vengeance. I am buying one tomorrow. (I am also vegetarian, though cookbooks of all varieties are welcome in my kitchen.)

The host, Isa, brought a cake to the party that you would seriously not believe. Layers upon layers of goodness.

You can see her site and her recipes here: www.theppk.com

If you make that fine-looking brunch, please invite me over. I want some of that action.

Live from New York . . . it's a NEW BLOG

Welcome to 2006! The New York mj office is back open for business!

It’s been a while again! How are you? Have you found any more good cups of joe? Write to me at maureen@maureenjohnsonbooks.com and tell me about them! I am still working on the Coffee Map of America.

I left the London office just in time to get back for the New York transit strike. I did a three hour walk in the freezing cold and battled for cabs for one day—and then I resigned myself to being stuck in my apartment. Right after Christmas, I was in Switzerland. I had been invited to join a friend’s family there. So I spent New Year’s Eve:

learning to ski with an insane man named Jean-Claude
on top of an Alp
in a blizzard

After that, I was frolicking with a wonderful bunch of British people—and we all rang in the new year in the snow, dancing around in the street of a small Swiss mountain village with a large group of strangers, while fireworks erupted overhead. People were chilling their champagne bottles in the snow. It was pretty fabulous. That is, until we got into a playful snowball fight with the people across the street, which turned into a snowball war. I took a snowball to the head and retreated to hide under a heat lamp. The whole thing ended when the people from across the street came over and threatened to beat people up unless the snowball fight ceased. That’s when Oscar Gingersnort and I (oh yes, the intrepid OG was there) ran away.

So, what to do with 2006, now that it is here?

1. KEEP UP WITH THIS BLOG!

Yes, friends, I plan on posting in 2006. Part of what slowed me in 2005 was a minor technical issue. That has been resolved. The other part was that I was busy writing a book. Now this blog is a part of Blogger, which means I can update it easily.

2. Finish up Devilish

The new book, Devilish, is almost complete. I am (quite literally) putting the finishing touches on it now, much to the joy of my editors. It should appear in stores somewhere around August or September . . . but I’ll keep you updated. Trust me. You’ll be hearing more about Devilish soon.

3. Write the NEW BOOK

Work has already begun on the next book. I have a policy of not revealing any details until I’m well underway—but I think if you liked 13 Little Blue Envelopes, you won’t be disappointed. I will say that it involves the ocean, exploration, and a historical mystery. I’ve said too much . . .

Before I allow any more time to go by, let me post this on my new Blogger page.

-mj

FANCYWORLD

I've noticed something about England in the last few days. They have really nice stuff here.

I've always been a little aware of this-that my English friends had things like really nice cell phones that could work in different countries, when mine barely works in my apartment. (And not really at all back at my family homestead in Philadelphia. When I go there for holidays and I want to use it, I literally have to go stand in the middle of the yard, where I am promptly swarmed by ducks from the creek we live on, because they associate humans in the backyard with getting leftovers and pieces of stale bread. So I have to keep moving slowly to escape from the ducks who trail behind me, while staying in the tiny and ever changing perimeters of signal.)

I bought an incredibly cheap cell phone when I came here a few months ago (£20, or about $34-and that came with £10 of talk time. So the phone itself was a princely £10 or $17). I am annoyed to find that it's about ten times better than the phone I have at home. My phone at home looses its charge after maybe ten hours. This phone? It went TWO MONTHS with no charge, and when I turned it on it was perfectly fine. It's been working for a week now and shows no sign of needing more power. It's like a SUPERPHONE from KRYPTON.

It's one of those phones with no monthly plan, so I just put more money on it whenever I need to. Which I can do from ANYWHERE. The gas station pump. The drug store. The ATM. The big Tesco supermarket. I can go to any of these places and more and say, "Make my phone work, please." And they say, "No problem."

And within about ten seconds, it's done.

Why is nothing this easy at home? If I went into CVS and said, "Make my phone work, please," they would say, "You need a prescription for psychiatric medication which we would be happy to fill." If I did that at the gas station, I think they would pull out a gun.

Oh, but it doesn't end there. There's also the FANCY INTERACTIVE TV. Oh yes. TVs here have interactive screens. So, you want to see a special segment on the meercat problem that you just heard about on the news? Click the red button. Want to just see the weather report? Click the blue button. Want to request a video? Click the green button. Want to get your QVC on? No problem. Your Bedazzler is on its way.

The cable in the London office went funny yesterday, and I was asked to call the cable company to see about getting it fixed. Did they have to send a repairperson? No! They BEAMED A REPAIR SIGNAL and suddenly, it worked.


I live in New York City, which should be the capital of Fancyworld. It is not. New York City cable television is powered, as far as I can tell, by windmill. We have cable boxes that, compared to here, seem to have been made in 17th century France. If someone beamed me a signal, my toaster would probably explode.

So dismiss any notion you have of Jolly Old England being quaint and all that. Oh sure, they lure us here with their Tudor buildings and black cabs, but then they swish around with their fancy phones and cool tvs . . . ugh, there's so much more that I'll get into later.

-mj