Faker

Hello!
So by now you've figured out what a fake blogger I am. I start a new blog and blahblahblah about how I will blog more and then it takes me forever to check back in.
Bad blogger, bad bad!
I will try to make it up by posting a delicious treat for you here involving a schvitzing rock star.
But first...last week I participated in the first ever NYC Teen Author Festival organized by none other than the ubiquitous Mr. Levithan. As part of that, I participated in an event where authors read from their upcoming books. I read from my forthcoming book Very LeFreak, which was the first time ever I'd read aloud from it or otherwise shared it at all publicly (not that there's any veil of secrecy, it's just I don't really like to share work except with my editor or my best writer consultants Patty or Jaci until I'm truly done...it's too nerve-wracking otherwise!). I didn't get booed off stage, so I'll consider it a success. It was a treat to get to read with so many of my favorite authors, and to a packed house -- thanks to all who were able to come! Here I am, in some stellar author company. (left to right, David Levithan, Libba Bray, Justine Larbalestier, Scott Westerfeld, Holly Black, Barry Lyga, guest of honor Joe Monti, me, Eireann Corrigan)

Aha, now, second! The treat! The other event I participated in as part of the festival was the debut of Tiger Beat, the first ever YA Author Rock Band. With Libba Bray on vocals and Daniel Ehrenhaft, Natalie Standiford and Barnabas Miller backing her, the audience was treated to an awesome set of tunes. Now I ask you, where but in YA would you be able to witness this? That's because YA authors bring it for serious! Mr. L and I "opened" for the band by reading some musical passages...actually, we read aloud from the German edition of Nick & Norah (see image at left; surely that's how you pictured the characters, too -- cuddling on the Brooklyn shoreline). In Norah's honor, I dressed in flannel, and in my own teenage self's honor, wore lots of eyeliner and dark lipstick for the occasion.

The band was mad hot good. Witness, courtesy of my very sorry videocam abilities (apologies), the wondrous Libba "Schvitizing for Rock" Bray covering "Dear Prudence," with some able assistance in the middle from an adorable toddler who almost, but not quite, steals the show -- until Libba returns the little one's pacifier mid-performance and saves the day, and another song. Amazing!

More soon. Promise!
Cheers and happy reading,
:)Rachel

NYC Teen Author Festival

Hello again,

Did you catch the Nick & Norah clips on the Oscars last night?


I'll be at the Darien Library in Darien, CT on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 7PM, reading, talking, and signing your books. If you're in the area, I hope you can come!

I'll also be participating in a couple events as part of the inaugural NYC Teen Author Festival. (Be sure to check out the full festival schedule -- there are several events with so many great authors -- all free events!) Here are the ones where you'll find me...and Mr. Levithan, lucky to be in the company of some stellar authors.

I Have Seen the Future...and It Sounds Like This
Wednesday, March 18, 2009, Mulberry Street Branch of the NYPL, 10 Jersey Street, 6pm
Teen authors are notoriously stingy about reading from their works-in-progress. But for Guest of Honor Joe Monti, authors Libba Bray, Rachel Cohn, Eireann Corrigan, Justine Larbalestier, Barry Lyga, and Scott Westerfeld are willing to share a little bit from their future books. Hosted by David Levithan.

Rock Out with TIGER BEAT!
Thursday, March 19, 2009, Books of Wonder, 6PM
By day, Libba Bray, Daniel Ehrenhaft, Barney Miller, and Natalie Standiford are upstanding authors. But by night, they turn into...TIGER BEAT, the first ever YA author rock band. Tonight is their debut public performance … and it's sure to go down in legend.
With opening act The Infinite Playlists (Rachel Cohn and David Levithan reading a litany of musical references, but mercifully not singing).

Hello, Blogger -- Goodbye, MySpace

Greetings and salutations,

Thanks for finding me here at this new blog.

Truthfully, I am not so much in love with blogging. There, I've said it.

Don't get me wrong. I totally appreciate the value of blogging and all those who do it with such dedication. I've just never had much to contribute to the blogosphere myself. For the last few years, I've had a MySpace blog for book and other news-y updates, which has felt like a sneaky, under-the-radar place to put it (because no one's particularly looking for my author blog there). But it's finally gotten too cumbersome to maintain a blog on MySpace. (I know, you're shocked.) So I give in. I've decided to try putting up a mo' bettah proper blog. With the economy the way it is, and since no one seems to want to read books that aren't about vampires or the supernatural lately, I'm getting to be pretty unemployable anyway, so now seems like a good time to finally jump more actively on the blogging party bus -- I freakin' need something to do.

I'll need your help. What do you want to hear about? Should I attempt a video entry or is that just too scary (for author)?

I'll start with some answers to questions I get a lot.

Will there be a Gingerbread movie?
No plans for one right now. The rights were owned for a while by the great and much-adored Amy Sherman-Palladino, but that's no longer the case. (On the plus side, Amy became a friend and I hang out with her on occasion, and this makes me feel very cool and shamelessly name drop-py. Thanks, AS-P.)

What TV shows do you like?
These days, I am mad for Flight of the Conchords, Mad Men, Battlestar Galactica and 30 Rock. I'm also very excited that my friend E.R. Frank's amazing book America is going to be a Lifetime movie airing on Saturday, February 28 at 9PM -- don't miss it (the movie, and ESPECIALLY the book!).

What's on your iPod these days?
The Nick & Norah soundtrack, obviously! But you know what? I get asked this all the time and I never have a good answer. You'd think I would since I have about 7000 songs on the 'pod, but I usually listen to the tunes on random shuffle. Musically, what I am probably most dedicated to is listening to Internet radio stations. KALX, the Berkeley college station, plays almost all the time on my computer when I'm at home or working. I also like KVRX, the UT-Austin station. And I love clicking on random stations from around the world on the iTunes radio feature. (I mean, Persian Dance Party -- who doesn't want a blast of that every now and then?)

What are you working on now?
I just finished a book called Very LeFreak that will come out in early 2010. It's about a nineteen-year-old girl, nicknamed Very LeFreak, who is way out of control with online and iPhone addiction, and what happens when she has to go cold turkey from her electronic life.

Do you like the Nick & Norah movie?
Are you crazy? David and I both LOVE it. If you buy or rent the DVD, you can hear us doing commentary along with the director and screenwriter, Peter Sollett and Lorene Scafaria. We discuss the adaptation process, how the book came about originally, and just who was that making out in the back of the Yugo with Seth Meyers (hint: it was one of the four people doing the commentary). But seriously -- watch the DVD if only to see Kat Dennings' awesome Nick & Norah puppet show!

My question for you: What the &^%! should I blog about?

I leave you with some Jemaine & Brett.


Cheers and more soon, hopefully,
:)Rachel