Nancy Meyers

As a screenwriter, I have always admired Nancy Meyers. She is my total fave. She wrote The Holiday, Something's Gotta Give, the new Parent Trap, The Father of the Bride I and II, Baby Boom, Jumpin' Jack Flash, and Private Benjamin. Yeah. Impressive.

It's been a while since one of hers came out but the wait is over. I cannot wait to see It's Complicated :-)



I shall be watching this Christmas day and loving every minute of it.

Unofficially Official Agent Day

In this season of blessings, we feel so grateful for our agents.

SF and I haven't been agented for long, but we can definitely say that we ADORE ours!!!!

KATIE: Cheryl makes me feel like the most inspired soul on the planet. She's a terrific cheerleader and my brainstorming twin. We tend to think just alike which makes it oh so easy to trust her judgement when submission time rolls around. Not to mention the fact that she's crafty, strategic and uber creative. And... She just ran the NYC marathon, making her just about the coolest chick I know! Thank you so much Cheryl!!!

SF: Well, I just have to say that I adore Joanna. She is enthusiastic, encouraging, and dead-on with her comments and suggestions. I can't say enough about how wonderful she is, but the very best thing that she has done for me has been to bring the FUN back into this whole process. I mean, I'm writing and illustrating picture books for children--it's supposed to be a wacky, wild ride . . . not something to sit around and ponder over while sipping cognac.

Jo has given me such a boost of enthusiasm, and I am once again pumped about working on my books. After a bit of a crazy agent search, I feel like I have met my perfect match!

This is what we used to think agents were.

Now we know better :-)

And we're not the only thankful chaps. Check out all these writers who love their agents too!

And thanks Lisa and Laura for posting the master list!!!

And a HUGE thanks to Kody for organizing this blessed event :-) Thanks y'all!

Katie's Biggest Dream

Since it's Christmas and all, I thought I'd tell you my biggest dream.

Ever.

Get ready. This one's big.

Being a bestseller would be nice, but that's not it.

And seeing my book on screen would be cool too, but that's not it either. (However, both would have to happen for my dream to come true.)

Because my dream is to have an original score written and recorded for my book. And I want to fly out to the recording.

That's it. My musical dream. I want an original score. All mine. Just for my book. And I want to watch it being recorded and cry.

This is my buddy Jo's recording :-)

Look what I've got!!

As a reward (or actually an early Christmas present) for signing with super-agent, my husband bought me a Wacom tablet.

On this gorgeous piece of plastic, I can draw just like I'm using a pencil, and my drawings will appear on my computer screen . . . where I can EASILY edit them and move characters around within scenes in my story. EASILY. Right?

Okay, so learning how to use a new piece of technology always involves me spouting out words that you will never see in one of my children's picture books. But, once I get this thing figured out, I'm going to be streamlined as I work up my book dummies.

I still plan to use good old fashioned paper with pens, watercolors and gouache for my final illustrations. But there are forests worth of trees that I would normally use just to plan what those final illustrations will be--plus, until now I've been going through the time-consuming process of drawing on paper, scanning into my computer, redrawing the image a tiny bit differently, scanning again, over and over again (the whole time spouting out words that are not appropriate for children . . . )

Wait a minute. Let's think about this. I'm saving hours of time and reams of paper. This thing has already paid for itself. I mean, I'm saving so much money, I'm practically making money. Maybe I should buy myself another gift . . . suggestions???

sf

Realizing Joy

I am ready to sell my book. And when I say "sell" I mean, "sell BIG."

BUT.

If I don't sell it, I will still be happy. Make that joyous. I'm not sure I realized this until a few days ago, but the fact remains that writing this book, pursuing publication, attending conferences, and meeting loads of people in the process has brought me more joy than I have ever experienced in my life. Seriously. Outside of the normal joys of being healthy, having a wonderful husband and two beautiful children, writing is the single biggest love of my life.

Over Thanksgiving I found myself getting into bed one night and pondering my characters as if I had a secret lover. I laid there and wondered what I might have them do, or say, and what plot angles I might use. The next morning I took some notes and thought, "I can't believe I'm lucky enough to get to do this." I mean how many people discover the career of their dreams? Ever?

Therefore, although it's my greatest desire to be able to walk into a Barnes and Noble and buy my book (off of this table - or have it made into a giant Christmas tree :-). I will try to remember that the real joy has come from simply being allowed to write it.

Random Honesty, volume 1

We have been awarded the "Honest Scrap" award by the two lovely bloggers, Ms. J and Shannon O'Donnell!!! Thanks, Girls! We love us some awards :-)

So now we have to tell you ten honest things about ourselves.

KATIE:

1. I have serious comma issues. I have no idea, where to put them. See?
2. I rarely watch TV and am jealous of Lila's knowledge of all things Bravo. But, I do watch movies. And it is truly a sickness. Anytime I even have a glitch of writer's block, I instant download a movie. And not a scary, or faced paced, or even popular one, usually. Yesterday, it was Kate and Leopold. You remember that one? It probably got crummy reviews, but I will happily watch it again and again and again. I adore it.
3. I know SF and I talk about southern food a lot, but I seriously love it. When we lived in Orange County, we almost went buck wild trying to find mashed potatoes and BBQ. It was impossible to find.
4. I love public speaking. I sometimes day dream about it. But it also makes me nervous, and I sometimes cry mid speech.
5. Just like my character, I am a makeup fanatic. I don't wear a ton but I have always owned a bunch and used to think Sephora was as good as Disney World.
6. SF will be funnier on these and make me second guess all of my answers :-(

SARAH FRANCES:

Ooooo! The pressure . . .

1. I hate confrontations (sad that I used to be a lawyer). I hate them to the point that I nearly have a panic attack complete with nausea, heart-racing, and crazy convulsions. It's embarrassing.

2. I also hate public speaking--Katie, I'll tag you for help with my, ahem, KEYNOTE! (sorry about the private joke shared by our LA SCBWI crew--I'd try to explain it, but like most private jokes . . . ya had to be there, and it just wouldn't be funny).

3. I am currently addicted to Weeds which stars Mary Louise Parker as a pot-dealing soccer mom. I'm way behind the curve and still on Season One, but it is my favorite guilty pleasure.

4. I have a gigantic crush on Jack Nicholson. Huge.

5. I'm buying lavender bath salts at the Walmart (Dr. Teal's), repackaging it with raffia and cute bags . . . maybe a seashell as a scoop. And, I'm going to give these to all of my friends for Christmas, swearing that I got them at some fabulous spa in Chicago when I was there last month.

6. Uh. Maybe I shouldn't have spilled that last one? If any of our readers are also on my Christmas list, just know that your gift was packed with LOVE. Besides, if you've never tried Dr. Teal's lavender bath soak, you should. His eucalyptus one is dreamy, too.

My Secret Weapon

I firmly believe that you can't write a book without a highly qualified support team. I have blogged about KISS, Inc. before, but it's true - without the support of a large group of friends, family and other authors, I feel that no one can write a good book. Keep in mind, within this group, I also count those supportive peeps who give kind and helpful rejections. Yep, I am more thankful for these people than almost any. Any, that is, except for one...

... My Secret Weapon.

The main weapon in my arsenal of tricks, is none other than my mother.

Having just finished reading my book for the umpteenth time, she is not only encouraging and persistant in her good advice, but, she's a grammatical genius, helping me locate rogue commas and overused words that pop up like evil terrorists. Her background in poetry and English makes her an indispensable tool for getting my manuscript in tip top shape before it ever even crosses my agent's desk. Mom has single handedly made me a Revision Goddess, a title I flaunt proudly.

Dear Mom,

I could never have done this without you. And for this reason, when I DO sell this sucker, it will be dedicated whole heartedly to you. Thank you so much! I love you :-)

Katie