Not So Usual

Working Out

Mon, 05 May 2008 17:05:02 GMT

Whoa, you guys. I keep going MIA for weeks on end, and it doesn't even feel like it's been that long. Crazy.

Two things that have kept me very busy as of late:

1) As mentioned previously, I made it a mission to get svelte and presentable so as to look my best come promotion time. I started this back in mid-February after turning in the first draft of The Life and Death of Emily Cooke, and as of today I've lost 40 lbs. Crazy! I've discovered the joys of cooking variations of grilled chicken, rice, and vegetables, and I've got the whole walking/workout thing going on. So hurray for progress. Only like a zillion more pounds to go, but I'm thrilled.

2) Revisions! I got notes back from my editor, Stacy, about The Life and Death of Emily Cooke and I've been working on making the final draft all shiny and awesome. We both think the book turned out really well, so I'm excited for ARCs to come out end of year so people can read it! This final draft is due May 12th, so I'm still keepin' on keepin' on . . .

In other news unrelated to myself, it was just announced that my writing friend Lisa Harkrader -- author of Airball: My Life In Briefs -- has sold a new psychic CSI-for-teens series to Nina Hess, my very first editor and the head editor for Mirrorstone Books. The book is called Afterlife and is out May 2009. Check out Lisa's web site for all the details on her awesomeness: www.ldharkrader.com

I leave you all today with a link to a web site I discovered yesterday that does nothing but post high quality pictures of food with links to blogs with the recipes. And it's searchable, so if you want to look at page upon page of cupcakes, you can! Go there if you're like me and love to look at all the delicious food you shouldn't be eating . . . www.tastespotting.com

Revision Time!

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:18:33 GMT

So yesterday I took a little trip to my publisher's offices. This was an exhausting and arduous journey that lasted all of five minutes as I happen to live right down the street from Mirrorstone Books. I swear that the proximity between my apartment and my publisher was not intentional.

The trip was to go meet with my editor, the lovely miss Stacy Whitman (slwhitman), to discuss the first draft of The Life and Death of Emily Cooke and pick up my notes. I'm happy to report that she liked the book and thought I nailed the voice. Which is awesome to hear, as she was the first person to read the book aside from myself, and y'know, it was always possible that I was massively deluded about my level of talent. I could be a regular American Idol contestant for all I know, with off key prose and screechy plotting and receiving nothing but notes telling me that I was like some ghastly cruise ship author.

(Oh my god and speaking of American Idol, did you all see that crazy performance with Fergie and Heart, where Fergie in her pleather Olivia Newton John-from-the-end-of-Grease pants did frikkin' one handed front spring across the stage while singing? That was insane. Also insane, but fun, was the group performance of Please Don't Stop the Music with all the dancers, because it made me flash to my new favorite reality show -- Step It Up And DANCE. Hells yeah.)

Aaaaanyway, so what all that means is that it's time to get down, get funky, and revise. In addition to adding a chapter or two and introducing a new character (because: hello, editors have some great ideas sometimes. Sometimes.) (okay, I'm lying: much of the time), I also get to go through and add files. Files upon files. Oh, and a memorandum or two.

What the? Huh? Oh, just you wait, it's gonna be totally cool. Files, people! Nothing is more interesting than files, I always say.

Anyway, off I go to do that. The book is due in a month. Am I sweating it? What, me, the guy who in like three weeks wrote what I'm told is one of my best first drafts? Ha! (Though seriously, aspiring writers: don't do that. Take your time. You'll get more sleep.) 'Til next time . . .

Collect Me

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:58:55 GMT

So I have this book called The Wayward Wizard, the first of a trilogy I wrote that turned out pretty well. For some reason I've been getting more attention for it than any other book I've written -- in fact, when I was playing World of Warcraft the other day (don't mock me!) I was chatting with someone who had actually heard of the whole trilogy. I was pretty sure this person was mistaken, I mean there was no way someone knew about my books, but nope, it was mine.

Anyway, apparently The Wayward Wizard has disappeared off the face of the planet and those who have a copy or two -- specifically used booksellers -- have been selling it at obscene prices. I wouldn't think anyone would ever buy my $5.99 cover price book for like $80, but it's listed for that much through Amazon so consistently that it makes me wonder. Now today I was sent this link:

http://cgi.ebay.com/The-Wayward-Wizard-Suncatcher-Trilogy-Volume-One-D_W0QQitemZ250233803384QQihZ015QQcategoryZ378QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQ_trksidZp1638.m118.l1247QQcmdZViewItem

That's right, someone on eBay is selling this book for $215. Two hundred and fifteen frikkin' dollars. That is INSANE. My book is not worth that much! And yet somehow it has fallen into the position of being a collector's item. Who woulda thought?

Sadly I don't get a single dime from these obscene sales, but I guess it's sort of flattering to know that there are people willing to pay that much for something I wrote, eh?

Madness!

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 20:23:07 GMT

Right, can someone explain to me how we're a few days shy of April (y'know, Spring), and yet it is frikkin' snowing in Seattle? What the heck? Is the true Weatherpocalypse nigh? Will I soon have to flee from a CGI coldfront like I'm in The Day After Tomorrow?

In other news, the latest iteration of the title for my series was rejected by the publisher's legal department for being untrademarkable. (That is, the title for the whole series. The first book is still called The Life and Death of Emily Cooke.) And just when I had really warmed up to it, too! Ah well, back to the drawing board, 'cause we apparently need a title quick . . . y'know, it's kinda necessary for ads and stuff . . . gulp . . .

Basho Presents . . .

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:50:16 GMT

The mascot for today's post is Basho. Basho is currently sitting across the hall from where I work, waiting to be etched with tattoos by a giant laser etching machine. Basho, as you can see, is not the least bit afraid of his eventual branding. Basho is one cool cucumber.

So, today I learned that my editor finally has time in her endlessly busy schedule to read the first draft of The Life and Death of Emily Cooke, the first book of my forthcoming sci-fi/fantasy/totally awesome YA book series. I'm of two minds on this. The first mind is quite pleased, as it means I get to soon revisit the book and polish it up and make it fantastic. Make it a book that Basho would be proud of. The other mind is screaming in utter terror, because oh god, what if it's awful? What if they absolutely loathe my attempts at witty prose, laugh at my feeble stabs at a teenage girl voice, stare stony faced at the pages (much like Basho here) as they reach the conclusion and find themselves not the least bit whelmed?

It's funny how, no matter how many books I write and publish, these little fears always manage to creep up.

But, Basho is the mascot for the day, and so I shall follow his lead, squat down, and stare my imminent revision notes square in the face. Bring it on, Editor Stacy. Bring. It. On.

In other news that has nothing to do with me or Basho, one of the many reasons my editor is so overloaded is because of an awesome historical fantasy series she is also working on called Hallowmere. The third Hallowmere book -- the final book of the introductory trilogy that launched the 10 book series -- is out today. I just bought my copy and you should too. Or, if you haven't read any of the series yet, you may be able to win signed copies of the first three books. Head over to Hallowmere author Tiffany Trent's LiveJournal to enter the contest she's running! She's even giving away truffles! It's awesome!

Last thing I want to talk about today: Unwind by Neal Shusterman. This YA novel came out back in November, but I just recently discovered it. And I am so glad I did. The tale has an unusual, almost completely improbable, premise: In a future after a war between those who are Pro Life and those who are Pro Choice, a compromise was made to stop the bloodshed. Abortions? Outlawed. All babies must be born. But the catch is: if after 13 years and before a child's 18th birthday the parents or guardians decide that the child shouldn't have been born after all, they can retroactively be rid of him. In a process call unwinding, these children are taken apart piece by piece -- though still in essence kept totally alive -- and every last bit of themselves given to those who need various transplants. It solves the problem of dwindling voluntary organ donors, and in the world the book presents, it provided an insane conclusion to an insane war that needed to end.

Naturally, the kids who have been slated to be unwound aren't the least bit pleased. Most of them, anyway.

It took me a little bit to get past the outlandish premise, but the story itself is outstanding. Following three lead characters as they go on the run from those who want to unwind them, it presents some very well told through arcs with vignettes of other character stories woven throughout. The conclusions it reaches are well earned, and I put the book down thoughtful and inspired. Part sci-fi adventure, part socio-political intrigue, and all entertaining, I definitely recommend reading this book.

Heck, I recommend reading all of Neal Shusterman's books. Full disclosure: I've been an Internet friend with Neal for years and years, since he long ago wrote for a TV show that was a spin off of a book series little teenager me had a fan site for. I've made a point to read any book of his I see at the store, and I have many favorites -- from the incredible Star Shards Trilogy to Downsiders, his books are all unique genre stories incredibly well told, and well worth reading.

And that's all for me today! Basho and I bid you farewell . . .

The book has a title . . .

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 02:39:20 GMT

I just saw this post over at the blog of my fab editor, Stacy Whitman, talking about her announcing the sale of my series on Publisher's Lunch. So yay, my series is now OFFICIALLY officially announced! And though we STILL can't say the name of the series 'cause of copyrights being checked out, I can now unveil the title of the first book: The Life and Death of Emily Cooke. Exciting!

And now back to my regularly scheduled, ah, schedule. That is, treadmilling it up while watching an advance screener of the Battlestar Galactica Season 4 premier that my awesome friend teutonicboytoy got 'cause he writes for a TV web site. I'm not gonna lie -- even more exciting!

Keeping up Appearances

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 18:42:55 GMT

You know what the best thing about being a writer is? Your job requires only that you sit your butt in a chair and make up some shiz on the screen. You're more or less your own boss when you're writing -- everything that appears on the page is all you, baby. If I decide that on page 150 I want to have UFOs descend and abduct all my characters, I totally can! It's awesome!

But then, if you're involved in publishing, you have to send your work to an editor and revise and eventually . . . go out there and sell your book.

So I'm a salesman day to day, actually. I work for a web site selling vending machines and candy -- no lie, I spend half the day chatting on the phone with people about M&Ms and giant spiral gumball machines. But since the business is entirely online, I never have to see anyone face to face; it's all e-mails and phone calls. Writing and speaking by phone? So easy for me, yo. But for books you have to do more, apparently. You have to take off the sweat pants, put on a nice pair of jeans, leave the comfort of your office behind, and go in public.

Now, it's always been kind of weird for me to take on an "author" persona, because dear god do I not feel like one. As far as I'm concerned I'm just a 25-year-old dude working by day in Seattle, hanging with friends by night, and fitting some writing in between reading and TV. But I've grown more or less used to maintaining a sort of author-y feel online. I try to be diplomatic in my opinions, I don't publicly talk about my personal life, I like to focus on writing. So switching this journal from Egg Fu to Jeff Sampson to help with the promo? Not a big deal. Nor is beginning a re-design for my official web site (ooh, official).

But with this new series I realize that . . . I can't hide anymore! I have to, like, go out to trade shows and hand out ARCs, and visit bookstores, and go to schools. And there are people in these places! People who aren't necessarily inclined to chat with a giant, scary bald man. With the Dragonlance books, I was part of a whole slew of authors, and my books were way in the middle of the series. I didn't really have to do much. But this, it's a whole launch! The success of this series (or lack thereof) is all on me and my ability to sell my whole damn self! Oh god, hives! Hives everywhere!

Anyway, all that to say, even though the ARC for the first book of The Series is at least six months out and the release of the book a year after that, I'm getting prepared now to look pretty and awesome for when I actually leave the house since doing so, y'know, takes some time. I even invested some of my Book Money in a treadmill to put in front of that giant new TV I have. Let's just say, an office day job and a writing night job aren't exactly conducive to an athletic figure, ya dig? I've already lost an amazing amount of weight (yay!), but since I'm having a weight loss competition with a friend I shan't say here how much. But I'll have some after photos down the road, I'm sure, because what's the fun of a radical physical transformation if you can't get virtual oohs and ahhs?

So get ready world, here I come . . . in, ah, a half a year or so . . .

Backlash This!

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:02:06 GMT

Seriously, what is the deal with Internet backlash?

So a friend and I have been chit-chatting about this lately, because we are totally in love with Diablo Cody, memoirist and recent Oscar winning screenwriter who the Internet has come down upon with a vengeance. Beyond totally loving the hell out of Juno, I also recently read Cody's memoir about her year as a stripper: Candy Girl. And can I just say, this book is frikkin' off the hook hilarious. We're talking raunch and nerdiness and the type of expertly crafted conversational prose that makes me realize I might as well be wearing a dunce hat proclaiming "witless" for all the world to see, 'cause I will never be that terrifically clever.

Anyway, so between that movie and that book, I now have a strong desire to meet Diablo Cody and have drinks with her and talk about all the crappy and yet awesome horror movies we love to watch, but the Internet HATES her. It's backlash ahoy with all the denizens of the Internet converging to wage one massive flame war against Miss Cody and . . . what the huh? Why?

Here's how I see it: Juno came out. Some people saw it and really, really loved it. They found the dialogue hyper-realistic and clever, the story heartfelt, the acting fantastic -- and left the theater with a smile. Some people saw it and were so-so about it. Wasn't necessarily their cup o' earl gray, but wasn't really a bad movie, they guessed, even if they cringed at "Honest to blog!" and the hamburger phone. And there were a few that legitimately hated every second of it, from Rainn Wilson's rapid fire zings all the way to Juno and Bleeker's rendition of a sweet-voiced Moldy Peaches song. And then, other movies were released, milkshakes became catch phrases, and life moved on.

Or, well, it should have. The movie had the audacity to become a financial success. Oscar nominations were thrown about. The writer actually won one of the coveted naked gold men -- and now all those people who were so-so about the movie have decided that they, in fact, HATED it and that Diablo Cody is a complete try-too-hard hack that must be crucified on the electronic cross. Because, ugh, no one is actually clever in real life! Hyper-reality is not allowed in entertainment! Anyone who dares write in such a style is horrible and doesn't deserve awards!

Now, I won't begrudge anyone their opinion -- you don't like a movie I like, don't necessarily enjoy dialogue that isn't utterly true to life? Whatever, that's fine, I wasn't a big fan of something you think is a filmic masterpiece, I'm sure. But I do, however, dislike when my own intelligence is called into question, or my own integrity, when I liked a movie another person did not. Yes, I did find Juno hilarious and heartwarming. I left the theater excited to have discovered this movie. No, I'm not just saying that because the movie became popular -- the friend mentioned earlier had me anticipating this movie for months prior to its release and we saw it before anyone even knew what it was. It also didn't hurt that I was blown away by Ellen Page in Hard Candy, and the movie also featured other actors I think are fantastic: Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, Allison Janney.

So what is the deal, then, with this backlash? Why are people (on the Internet especially) so prone to revealing irrational levels of hatred when something they don't particularly care for is a success? I don't give two spits about, say, Hannah Montanna, but I don't go around screaming that she's a talentless hag now that Miley Cyrus is a worldwide phenomenon.

Why is there this inate need for people to try and bring down those who become succesful or popular? And on that thread, why is there such a refusal of Internet dwellers to seeing/reading/listening to something that has achieved success? I mean, let's look at it this way -- I was on the fabulously taltented Tiffany Trent's journal (

tltrent) not too long ago and I mentioned that I'd been hearing such good things about her series for literally years that I was excited to finally read it. Her response was that she was surprised that after all the hype I'd been indundated with I would still read the books. I see the same thing happening with the backlashes -- think of something popular like Harry Potter, where there was a whole contingent of kids and teens who had never read the books and bother to formed their own opinion but who decided they hated it because others recommended they may like it.

I don't understand that, personally. If someone recommends something to me, I actually do take the time to read/watch/listen to it. I rely on my friends to help expose me to literature and film and music that I might otherwise never know about. How else would I have discovered that Brian K. Vaughan is a comic-writing genius? Or that Nightmare on Elm Street 2 is fabulous to watch while tipsy? Or that Diablo Cody is a writer whose work makes me laugh and ponder?

As a writer who now has a complete and utter fear of being even remotely succesful lest this happen yo me: Explain to me, Internet, with your fandom and your anti-fandom, with your trolling of fan boards and your fanning of troll boards, what is the deal here? Why is it so hard for so many of you to see something you don't much care for succeed, to the point that you become red-faced and trembling about it? Why are so many of you resistent to the suggestion that you might like something that others have enjoyed, to the point that you not only resist reading/watching/listening to that thing, but actively campaign against it? Why is the Internet built upon a foundation of seething hatred and flagstoned with a cap fashioned from a mix of biting insults and the bones of those that have been deemed of the "She think she all that but she ain't all that" variety?

And just what the hell is wrong with a hamburger phone, anyway?

Picture This

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:19:56 GMT

So, something I do as I create a series is troll through the interwebs finding pictures of people to represent my characters. MySpace, FaceBook, Model Mayhem, whatever -- it's fair game. That's right, folks -- one of you may have randomly been chosen to be one of my characters. Scary!

Yeah, that may sound kind of stalkeristic creepy, but I think having these pictures can be a great resource. Essentially, I've put together a a virtual photo album of my characters. My main rule is -- no famous people. I want no pre-conceived notions when I view the pictures -- sorry Lohan, you ain't gonna be cast as my red-head cheerleader (though I admit it, I did totally steal some of her outfits for my character's wild nighttime outings). The moment these people join the album, I mentally strip them of whatever identity they once had and they become, now and forever more, my characters.

I got the idea from another series author who, back in the dark age of woe and strife that was the pre-Internet world, would cut out pictures of models from teen magazines to represent her characters. These pics are put into the series bible and are of course kept completely private -- obviously we can't use the pictures publicly without the individual's permission. But it's neat to have an actual image a mere click away to help form your idea of a person -- it's easy to describe someone as "average height with short blond hair," but when you find a picture of someone who fits that image, there are so many facial and other physical characteristics available that can help make that person come alive. I mean, who knew this average height blond guy had a slight butt-chin? Crazy!

Heck, some of the pictures I've found have even changed the course of the characters' personal arcs -- for instance, one "character" had a snapshot with another person who I chose to be a character, and thus the two were made cousins. I have a set of triplets in my series and while at first they were all described as being almost clones of one another, because I'm apparently a super-lazy and cliche-riddled author, I found a public album of a model who fit my image of them perfectly -- and who just happened to have three distinct looks that I could give to each triplet, looks that helped me develop unique personalities for each of them.

It's also nice to be able to hand over a reference to an editor or art director when they need to, say, find a cover model. Keeping everyone on the same page is always a good thing. And plus: browsing for photos for your series bible can be a great way to procrastinate while still feeling like work is getting done. Score!

So, am I alone in this? Who else out there casts their novels/series this way? And does anyone else sit at their desk, headphones on, singing like a fool to the High School Musical 2 soundtrack while doing it?

Uh . . . forget I said that last part . . .

Writing Perks

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 19:25:20 GMT

Okay, so it's a total no-no to talk about money in the author world, 'cause it's totally tacky and classless to brag about how much money you got or complain about how little money you didn't get for a book contract. But it's no secret you do get paid for these things, and recently I got the first part of my advance for the Series Whose Name Is Not Yet Officialized.

Normally when I get what I call my Book Money, I use it for boring adult stuff. That is, the bills. While I do have a full time day job, it's nice to have the extra money to help come rent time.

But, you know, how boring would it be to celebrate a shiny new book contract by paying the power bill a few weeks early? No, this weeked, I decided to SPLURGE, baby, and get myself this bad boy:

That would be a 42" plasma flat screen TV and OH MAH GAWD I am in love. Everything is so big! And clear! And big! And . . . oh man, I'm drooling here and I'm afraid I might have a saliva-induced keyboard short circut if I don't cut it out.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take a break from writing and dig into some Netflix . . .

The Character Factor

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:34:09 GMT

To get the new blog a'started, I'm re-posting an entry I wrote for a Blogger blog about my new series waaaay back in June when I was still in create mode:

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

June 24, 2007

I am an almost 25-year-old guy developing a series with a 16-year-old girl as the main viewpoint character. Not only have I apparently lost the ability to remember anything of importance about my life past around, say, two years ago, what little I do remember of being a teenager did not, in fact, involve being a girl.

That said, I have an author friend--a fabulously gifted writer who wrote series books for a million years before she got burned out and went off to write literary novels that will probably win tons of awards, leaving the “Series Hack” mantle for me to snag and wear proudly--who told me that she always deliberately created characters different from herself. That is, she’s so not sporty, so she made a character who was a crazy thrill-seeker who did extreme sports. She’s ambivalent about religion, so she made a character who’s staunchly devoted to God.

I always liked that process, since it forces you to write characters that are outside of your comfort zone--meaning you don’t end up with fifteen versions of yourself running around the pages of your book. The challenge after creating these wacky not-at-all-like-you people is to find ways to relate to them anyway.

So, as I sit here figuring out my new main character--a girl named Emily Webb--I have made a list of ways we are similar, despite the very obvious difference in age and hoo has.

1. We both like girly pop-rock. Her ring tone is my ring tone: “Walk Away” by Kelly Clarkson. And can I just say, I love me some Kelly; in fact I am listening to her new CD right this second and it is awesome. So ignore all this business you hear from the likes of that blogging fame whore Perez Hilton, she’s cool beans.

2. We both hate Perez Hilton.

3. I was pretty eh about school, even though I liked learning just fine, and so is she. She has her various obsessions--all of the obscure and geeky variety--and would rather sit at home and read than spend effort doing boring schoolwork. Me too!

4. She has no pets, but if asked, she’ll say she likes puppies and kitties. I must say, I do too; they are damn adorable, though they make me sneeze.

5. While she is bubbly and energetic around a few close friends, when around groups of people she can get quiet and shy. I’m not like that anymore, but one of the few things I remember of being a teenager is being that guy. With worse hair and glasses than you remember.

6. She can get totally OCD about stuff; like, she has to check her alarm clock 20 times to be sure that it’s set before she goes to bed, and she constantly checks herself to make sure she has everything she needs while she’s out and about. That is so me; I can’t go to bed with the fear that I may have just imagined setting my alarm, and so I’m constantly getting up to check it again.

7. Also, I want to note that after I said “she constantly checks herself” in item #6, I got a strong urge to follow it up with “before she wrecks herself.” That is a joke she’d make, too.

8. At night, a crazy mood swing overcomes her, she puts on skimpy outfits, and goes to prowl the streets in search of thrills. That is like my nights in a nutshell.

So hey, at the end of the day, despite my being a bitter shell of an old man, me and this character click. Does this mean that she’s a lot like a 20-something dude, or that at heart I’m just a teenage girl? That is a question I ponder every night as I sit alone, watching my DVDs and getting drunk on Vodka.

She and I don’t share that in common. Yet. Let’s get to [Currently Untitled YA Series]: The College Years and we’ll see.

Everything else about Emily Webb I’ve drawn from people I know. As in, I’ve blatantly stolen traits and likes from people I know. So, that friend who has a plush Corgi from the TV show "Cowboy Bepop"? Yeah, your little stuffed doggy is on my character’s bed. That other friend who has “Labyrinth” and “Princess Bride” posters on her wall? They’re on Emily’s wall now. And my poor sister--I’ve stolen all of her teenage awkwardness and gave it to this character, from being ashamed about her abundant chest and wearing giant hoodies to hide it, to her 1982 Honda Civic named Little Rusty that had a tendency to die at stop lights.

Cool, looks like I have a better bead on this character than I thought. Suh-weet. Now to make sure the rest of the massive cast isn’t just me in disguise, and we’ll be set . . .

Name Change!

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:13:55 GMT

Hey folks! As I move on to be more capital-P Professional, I've renamed my journal to, well, my real name. If you are wondering who this is, I formerly went by a supervillain alter-ego, Egg Fu. All those fun cartoons are still saved in this journal, but now that I have a new series I want to yack about, I'm switching gears to make this more writerly informative.

Here's a mini-bio if you aren't sure who I am:

So, the name is Jeff Sampson. I began my writing career at the tender age of 18 by writing for Scholastic's web site and working with Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant (known together as K.A. Applegate) on the sci-fi series REMNANTS. I outlined these two books but did not write them; the talented Emily Costello took on those duties:

REMNANTS #7: Isolation was released in July 2002, and REMNANTS #9: No Place Like Home hit shelves November that same year. The series didn't exactly make a splash, especially not compared to K.A. Applegate's ANIMORPHS, but my experience working with that series and its authors had me hooked -- I NEEDED to write. I mean, getting paid to make up insane stories? That is a dream, baby.

I spent a couple years working on a mid-grade novel and developing my craft while hanging out virtually with the cool folks over at the Blue Board. When I was 21, I heard about a new genre-geared young reader imprint of Wizards of the Coast called Mirrorstone Books. I sent in some samples to the editor for the new imprint, Nina Hess, and within a month of contacting her I had a contract for my very first book. It was part of a young adult series based on an adult fantasy series. Our series was called DRAGONLANCE: THE NEW ADVENTURES. Even before the first book was done I was asked to do another; both were part of larger stories contributed to by many authors. They are:

DRAGONLANCE: THE NEW ADVENTURES, Vol. 8 - Dragon Spell was released in July 2005, and DRAGONLANCE: THE NEW ADVENTURES, Trinistyr Trilogy Vol. 2 - Wizard's Betrayal came out in January 2006. Of the books in this series that I wrote, I think Wizard's Betrayal is my best.

Mid-way through writing Wizard's Betrayal, a new editor was brought on board with Mirrorstone Books as Nina was insanely overloaded with all the books being put through. That editor is one LJers are surely familiar with: Stacy Whitman ( slwhitman). Under her guidance I created and wrote my very own DRAGONLANCE trilogy, starring series favorite Sindri Suncatcher. Those books are:

Vol. 1 was released in September 2006, Vol. 2 in July 2007, and Vol. 3 in September 2007. I'm told it's a good trilogy, so good for me. The main character, Sindri, sort of became "my" character and in addition to writing him in these books, I'm writing his introductions for the Dragon Codices series and was also a "Sindri's voice" consultant for the NYT Bestselling A Practical Guide to Dragons as well as the forthcoming A Practical Guide to Dragon Riding.

Next on the slate is my recently announced YA series, the first book of which will be released in Sept. 2009 with at least three more books to follow. I also have a couple novels I'm working on and hope to sell soon, 'cause they are awesome ideas I want the world to read.

And that's that! I hope I can be at least marginally as funny and informative as my blogging peers. Going from one of the many talented writers working on a series to launching a series that is all me, all the time is suddenly feeling like a Big Deal, and I hope y'all will stick with me as I talk aaaaall about it . . .

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:02:21 GMT

Well hey there, Fu Tang Clan, long time no see. There's a reason for that but first things first:

I HAVE MY OWN YA SERIES!!

Woo, it's so good to finally be able to scream that at the top of my lungs. Here's what y'all need to know:

In September 2009, the first book of an original YA series by yours truly will be in stores every-frikkin'-where. What's it about? Well, I was told I was only allowed to say the following, which is an excerpt from my original series proposal:

"As 16-year-old Emily Webb begins her junior year of high school, she finds herself stalking the streets at night, transformed from shy and mousy into a wild thrill-seeker."

Whoa, hold on there Jeff, don't give away too much or . . . oh. Well, that doesn't say much at all, does it? That's 'cause copy is still being written, marketing plans are being put in place, even changes being made as you read this to the manuscript, and we don't want to give away any of the meeeeeellions of surprises in store.

So, really, what is it about? I'll say this: it's (a) straight up genre, but whether that is sci-fi/horror/paranormal/fantasy/all-of-the-above you will have to wait and see and (b) it's the coming of age story of a really geeky but totally cool teenage girl who is about to have her life made all twisty turvy crazy by some totally terrifying but terribly thrilling circumstances. In case you're wondering, what I looked for to inspiration as I dove into this project was everything from Buffy to Scott Westerfeld novels to My So-Called Life to Heathers. It is going to be straight up kick ass.

We have a series title and a first book title but, alas, for now I have to keep mum on those while I wait for legal departments to make sure we can actually use 'em. But it shouldn't be too much longer as we're going to have a shiny, fancy ARC to start passing around by the end of the year and I'd imagine a title would be good to have on it. The series is planned to be at least four books, with the potential for more, and I can tell you that I haven't had as much fun in recent memory as I had the past month actually writing the first manuscript for the series. Just ask my good buddy Donnie, who I car pool with every morning and who had to put up with me excitedly rambling on about what crazy thing Emily Webb just got involved in as though it was how I myself had spent my evening.

So ye gods, y'all, so glad to have this series off my chest at long last! It's actually been almost exactly a year since this whole shebang started -- it was actually at ALA mid-winter here in Seattle last year where the idea was sparked. I was sitting in the big plush chair at the Mirrorstone booth with head editor Nina Hess. We'd been talking about doing a series for awhile and I'd been throwing ideas at her willy nilly, none seeming quite right for what they needed. Finally I asked, "So what do you guys want?" I was told, "YA, teen girl, [topic]." I said, "Ooh, what if we did a twist on a theme and did [this]!" They loved it, spent 9 long months getting everyone else to love it, and now I'm teamed up again with Mirrorstone Books and my fabulous Dragonlance: The New Adventures editor Stacy Whitman ( slwhitman) to bring the series to the shelves.

Now you can see why I've been so quiet -- all I wanted to do was talk about this Top Secret Project that, alas, I was not allowed to discus until the ink was dry on the contract that was dropped off on my doorstep today.

Speaking of this journal, I'm thinkin' it's high time I got all professional and made a real life writer blog that is actually informative and interesting, rather than letting my old play time as supervillain Egg Fu sit here and languish. I'm probably going to be launching a new journal under (gasp!) my own name. Keep your eye out, as I'd love to have you all join me there.

So there we have it, friends! Come celebrate with me as at long last we continue our plan to take over the world via children's books!

Until next time . . .

Congratulations Are In Order . . .

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 20:59:48 GMT

. . . for Fu Tang Clan member (and writing buddy) Jackson Pearce (watchmebe), who just announced that she sold her first novel, AS YOU WISH, to Harper Collins for release in 2009. So many of my writer friends have sold books and normally I don't announce them, but I thought I might this time to inspire some fellow young writers -- you see, Jackson is but 23. Like my alter ego, Jeff Sampson, and another writing buddy, Jennifer Lynn Barnes (jenlyn_b), Jackson was/is a frequenter of Verla Kay's chat and message board, which is where I got to know her. Also like myself and Jen, Jackson is a youngun' -- Jen and I both sold our first books when barely legal to drink.

Now, normally I don't like to harp on age -- talent is talent, whether you're 17 or 71. But I do remember the days when I was but 19 and first entering the writing world. Though I was met with a lot of grace, there was always this sense that if you were a young writer it was assumed that, well, you couldn't be good. Sort of a "keep at it, little buddy!" pedantic sort of thing. And you know, this sort of bias does have basis in reality -- a lot of young writers really do have a long way to go and a lot of life to live before they are ready to write great books.

But I think there's also something to be said for keeping at it despite feeling as though no one takes you seriously -- not to imply that there's some horribly ageist policy in publishing, not in the least! But it can be discouraging to discover that all your peers are older and wiser than you, leaving you to often wonder, "What if I'm not good enough after all?"

Of course, this is something all writers feel, regardless of age. So I say, take the early success of Jackson, Jen, and myself and be inspired. If you're a grizzled veteran, writing for years and not quite there yet? Who cares! Tenacity often wins out as much as talent -- plus, you should make a point to show us young guns invading your turf that you got more than a few tricks up your sleeve. If you're young and just starting writing? Well, then take this to mean it's not such a pipe dream after all -- I worked on my first published book at 18, after all. And if I can do it, you most certainly can.

Anyway, enough jibber jabber -- again, a hearty congrats to Jackson! I still remember both of us chatting about our Deep Dark Secrets when no one else was around (how scandalous!) and also reading an early draft of what has now become AS YOU WISH. I can only imagine it's become an even greater book than it was back then, and I can't wait to read it!

Going Adult

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 17:45:45 GMT

Oh my, but I have been a terrible villainous leader, abandoning you all while I continue the strenuous activity of lounging about, mostly free of writing responsibility.

Well, I haven't entirely been vegging -- I'm an egg, anyway, so becoming veg isn't the easiest of tasks.  I see the next year and a half or so as a lull designed to trick our various enemies into thinking we've given up on making minions of people via books . . . until it's too late for them to stop us! Mwa ha!

To that end, I've been seeking new and wonderous writing opportunities -- the more books in which I can plant our insidious messages of Fu Domination, the better. Recently I received a scroll delivered via carrier raven -- signed in blood by two people I'd never before spoken to, and who shall for now remain nameless.   The scroll, once unfurled and translated from the original Demonic, said essentially, "We think you're fabulous and want you to write a book for us."

The hitch? This book would be for adults.

Now, I'm not exactly a spring chicken. More like a cooked winter's turkey left on the counter too long, questionable green spots now sprouting upon it. Despite that, until now I've only ever written books for children and young adults.  I've always been a kid at heart, you see, mostly in that I'd prefer to not have to pay for things and enjoy letting other people be responsible. Still, I figured, how difficult could it be to plot a story involving adult characters? I watch a lot of TV, I can always blatantly steal from that! So I figured out a story, typed out a little synopsis, and sent it off, then went back to the business of drinking myself into a stupor while mocking Teen Witch with the rest of the Inner Circle.

Oh, but wouldn't you know it, my absolutely excellent plot involving a young naive queen becoming not so naive doesn't work as an adult story.  And the two persons who wrote me had no qualms about telling me as such.

But hey, I'm a professional, so I rewrote. And wouldn't you know it, the new story isn't quite right either.

I'll admit, I've been spoiled rotten. My lovely YA editors, Ladies Whitman and Hess, have never really required much by way of outline revision for most of the books I've written for them. Whether that means I'm actually good at YA plots or that they just trust me to do something good with what may be a lackluster outline, I don't know. But wouldn't you know if I didn't get a bit of a big head from it -- I figure, I must be a master plotter! Give me an idea and I will expertly plan a book that will sell millions -- nay, TRILLIONS!

Only not so much, apparently, since now I have "too much intrigue" or "too much plot" or some other such nonsense.

My first instinct was to break out my katana and go psycho -- let those two know with cold steel pressed against their jugulars that, hey, they can trust me, I'll give them a good book. But then I realize -- well, they don't have any reason to trust me as of yet. We haven't worked together -- as far as I know they haven't really read what else I've done and, even if they had, they have no way of knowing how much came directly from me and how much was fixed during editing and revisions.

It's odd, this. Not just switching gears from "teen" to "adult" -- which is actually more difficult than anticipated -- but the need to basically start over with new overseers. I've worked with the same editors for four years, so to have new ones . . . it's disconcerting! This is supposed to be my lounging time, I'm not supposed to need to actually think.

However, I'm discovering I like the challenge presented here. I have been presented with a field of obstacles and now I must get in shape so as to expertly navigate betwtixt the barbed wire and landmines and sand traps set in my path. And so rather than go all crazy with my blade, threatening folks until they just succumb and give me my contract already, I will sit back, and ponder, and rethink, and reoutline. And one hopes this work will pay off and we'll have a stronger story for it.

Though, I'm not gonna lie -- I'm glad I also have that secret YA project to dive into as well. Nothing like going back to what I know best so as not feel like a complete and utter noob.

That's all for now, friends! I'm more or less assured that this adult project will go through, so I will share more about it when I can. In the meantime, I have a task for you, Fu Tang Clan -- run out and buy Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why. It is an amazing YA novel that combines honest character writing, intricate plotting, real suspense, and even realer emotion into one wonderful story. I honestly believe this will be considered a new YA classic, so if you haven't read it you should!

Until next time!

I Live!

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 19:11:22 GMT

Oh, Fu Tang Clan, how I've neglected you! I've been using my time away from writing and our plan of Fu Domination to lounge in my silk robe and bunny slippers, catching up on my reading and TV (Friday Night Lights specifically is an amazing show and all of you should watch it!). Seems that time might soon be coming to an end. I might potentially -- potentially -- be looking at writing 7 books over the next two years.

Insanity you say? Of course! Can I handle it? I'm Egg Fu! Of course I can! Nothing is official as of yet, in any way, but it's so close to being real that I can positively taste it, friends. I'll share more information as I can, but for now I ask only that you wish me luck -- if these projects proceed, our plans of taking of the world via books can go ahead full force!

A Peaceful Silence

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 17:06:22 GMT

Good day, Fu Tang Clan.

It has been many weeks since my last update on my evil schemes. I'm afraid to say, since the completion of my last book in the Dragonlance series many months back, it has been relatively peaceful around the Dojo. No daily attack by ninja hordes. No evil robots hacking into my vast computer network in an attempt to discover the secrets of my evil plot to take over the world. No more mysterious phone calls from former enemies as they try to lure me to places like Russia. In other words, nothing terribly exciting to write about.

No, this summer has been spent lazing about in the hanging gardens that are flourishing on the mountain peak on which I live, discussing life and philosophy with the prized members of my Inner Circle.

That may change soon, however, for recently I found a piece of parchment held in place on my front door by an intricately carved dagger. "Good things are afoot," it read in the scrawling, loopy handwriting of one Lady Whitman, who was last seen threatening me with her evil monkey ninjas should I fail to turn in one of my manuscripts on time. The "thing" that is afoot is top secret . . . for now. How this ties into my plans to take over the world by using subliminal messages in children's books . . . well, we'll see. Mustn't get ahead of myself, though I'm fortifying my Dojo's defenses just in case mine enemies discover that they have not heard the last of the superest of supervillains, Egg Fu, and resume their attacks!

Yesterday I received a bound package filled with copies of my last book in the Dragonlance series. I flipped through its pages, delighted to find my hidden messages still intact. You yourself can purchase the book in nary but a month. Here are the details:

DRAGONLANCE: THE NEW ADVENTURES
Suncatcher Trilogy, Volume Three
The Stolen Sun

Everyone knows kender can't do magic. But Sindri Suncatcher--the greatest kender wizard in the world--can.

Sindri has defeated the evil wizard Anica and has one final Temple of the Sun to locate on his quest to discover the source of his magical power.

But the final conflict is far from over. Old foes endanger Sindri's home village in Kendermore, while old friends add confusion to an already frenzied situation. And in the midst of all the chaos, Sindri must make the hardest choice of his life.

The hardest choice of his life? Oh dear, what could it be? Poor Sindri!

That's all for this time, friends! I'm off to continue lazing about, enjoying my time away from the limelight until such time I can re-emerge as a threat to the world once more. Thank you, Fu Tang Clan, for sticking with our villainous organization through this lull. I guarantee you that the more books I and you write, the sooner our stranglehold on the world--nay, the UNIVERSE--shall be felt.

Until next time!

It's mah birthday

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 22:37:12 GMT

And I'm tootin' mah horn

Yes, Fu Tang Clan, yours truly is another year older, and another year wiser. My human alter-ego, Jeff, turns 25 this day. Me? Well, that is a closely guarded secret, but I'm told I don't look a day over 947.

To commemorate my alter-ego reaching a quarter of a century, I have decided to change his look to closer reflect my normal egg-stravagant self (so as to make it easier to put on my disguise):

Yes, now even my children's author persona looks villainous! I hear the just-escaped-from-prison look is in this year . . .

Thank you for indulging me, friends! I will try to not go another month before updating with tales of my misadventures. I can say that currently I'm hard at work on a potential new series that may actually see the light of day come, oh, 2009 or so. Nothing is official and likely won't be for months and months, if at all, so I can't say more than that. But do wish me luck -- going more than a year without a new book of mine gracing store shelves will completely derail our plan of Fu Domination!

Until next time!

Something Lurks . . .

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 02:47:44 GMT

Deep in woods that grow thick atop a mountain peak . . .

Hidden within the walls of the Egg Fu Dojo . . .

Slinking through darkened halls . . .

Something new lurks.

Oh my god. It's KITTENS!

YAY! KITTENS!

Ohhhhh, how adorable, they are PLAYING!

Get 'em, Tiger!

D'aaaaawwww how CUTE, he's tuckered out!!!!

That's right, friends, there has been some new additions to the Fu Tang Clan, acquired this fine day by Professor Sarcasm. Introducing the two cutest kitties with the nerdiest names you ever did see!

and . . .

Kittens, my dear Fu Tang Clan, can get a smile even out of me.

Until next time!

End of an Era

Mon, 07 May 2007 07:04:06 GMT

An out-of-character entry for you all this fine evening.

I have a file on my computer from years ago called "NHMail.doc", which was where I saved all the initial e-mail conversations I had with my very first editor, Nina Hess at Mirrorstone Books. I don't bother saving e-mails anymore (there's far too many), but back then I was 21-years-old and still relatively new to the book writing world, and I saved every single last piece of communication I had with anyone involved with the publishing world.

The first e-mail in that NHMail document is from November 6, 2003. Three days earlier I had mailed off a packet to Wizards of the Coast's fledgling young reader imprint that I'd heard about through the grapevine -- and much faster than I'd anticipated I had an e-mail in my in-box from that imprint's editor entitled "Your Samples." Nina had read my stuff, liked it, and asked if I was interesting in pitching for one of their forthcoming fantasy series.

Three weeks later, after a pitch was made and an outline written, I was offered what would become my first book in the Dragonlance: The New Adventures series.

That three-week whirlwind of excitement had come after two years of involving myself in the world of children's literature, forging friendships with other writers, many of whom I'm proud to say have gone on to publish as well (and those who haven't yet surely will soon!). I still remember the joy of that first sale, and the excitement that others shared with me when I got to shout the news from the mountain tops.

Three and a half years have passed. I've moved around, and I've met many new people; I've experienced the joys of my words being made available to the world even while wading through varying depths of depression. I've shifted and changed from one year to the next, learning and growing from a naive boy to some creature vaguely resembling a man, and through it all I've had one constant -- I always had a book due for the Dragonlance series.

Five books later -- three of which are my very first trilogy -- and, for now, it's all over. Not twenty minutes ago I sent a list of the absolute final changes to the last book of my trilogy to my current editor, the amazing miss Stacy Whitman, and now . . . Dragonlance is done. I don't have any more books slated for the line.

Of course, even though more often than not I struggled to keep my head in the game and it was sometimes an incredible ordeal to get the next book done, I already miss the world and its warriors and wizards, its kender and dragons.

Now, though, I think it's time to move on. Though I'll still be involved one way or another with the Dragonlance series -- I'll be writing intros for ten of the forthcoming books, and I certainly wouldn't say no to reuniting with a character or two somewhere down the line -- I have so many other stories I want to tell. Already I'm developing new projects, imagining up new ideas, considering other forms of writing. Perhaps now what I write will actually be of interest to those who read this journal ;)

So I suppose tonight marks an end of my Dragonlance era. It was at times frustrating, working within this world already touched by so many, but it was always exciting and fun. I can't even begin to say how grateful I've been for all the writing luck that's come my way, or for the amazing creative people that I've met along the way. And I hope that my writing journey the past few years was the beginning of something grand.

So, friends, keep an eye out -- I have projects out for consideration, others that I'm writing for myself, and still others just percolating in the back of my head. I'm back to the start, as it were, like many of those who read this journal -- back to sending my precious creations out into the world and hoping for the best! I'll of course continue my escapades as supervillain Egg Fu, and I'll be sure to keep you all up to date on anything exciting that may happen in my future. Thank you for reading this, and for those who've been there with me during this wild and thrilling Dragonlance adventure, thank you for being such a supportive force over the years.

Enough of this sappiness! Until next time, friends.

Time Warp Dance Party

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 21:09:43 GMT

Fu Tang Clan member thatgirlygirl has asked that we all join her in a lively dance party, performing the Time Warp from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I was only too happy to oblige.

Until next time!

Finished!

Sat, 14 Apr 2007 23:08:02 GMT

I'm done! The last book of my trilogy is now officially out of my hands and for the first time in years I don't have a looming deadline and can finally breathe. What happened with this book was that a wrong file was turned in back in October, and no one noticed until the week the book was supposed to actually go to copy editing. Reason for this is that other books had to be edited in front of mine for various reasons, and by the time it was my turn, the actual finished file of the first draft was lost and I basically had two weeks to rewrite a bunch of missing/poorly written chapters and then turn around a complete, publishable revision.

You can see why a few days ago I was saying I never wanted to write again!

But we managed to do it, and now I'm free! You other writers know -- there is nothing like the sweet release after fully finishing a book. This was my toughest book yet, but I still got teary eyed as I put the final touches on the ending, and I'm more than a little sad that it's all over.

So, I guess this means I'll end up writing more books after all.

But not today! Today, it is time to party here at the Dojo! Huzzah!

Grr. Aargh.

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 06:50:18 GMT

Never again, friends! As I pull an all nighter preparing the final draft of the last book of my trilogy for copy editing, after a frantic few weeks of editing and rewriting faster than I've ever done due to a rather unfortunate set of circumstances, I'm done! No more books for me! Ever! Once this book is done, I shall give up this plan of taking over the world via books and focus on my other love instead--llama wrangling.

I will probably have a change of heart, but for now the title says it all. Ah well. Back to the manuscript . . .

I Woke Up Early the Day I Dyed

Sun, 08 Apr 2007 23:03:42 GMT

I awoke this fine holiday morning to a most unexpected view in my bathroom mirror:

Someone went paint happy while I slept. Egg Fu is not amused.

Tequila!

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 04:13:04 GMT

Joe Drama was recently on the lam in Mexico, for reasons I'm unclear on though I think it has to do with those assassins that recently took up residence in his old home. All I know for certain is that I asked him to bring me back some Mexican jumping beans (because, so fun!), and instead, when I dropped by the airport yesterday to pick him up, he had an even better surprise for me: Tequila! I'm not sure if it's any good, but Master Drama relayed this story to me as we swapped stories of the week over dinner:

Joe Drama to Mexican saleswoman: So, is this a good Tequila?
Mexican saleswoman: ::stares blankly::
Joe Drama: ::blinks::
Mexican saleswoman: ::smiles enthusiastically:: Tequila!

She didn't speak any English or Yemenian (the only two languages Joe knows), so he took her enthusiasm over this bottle as a good sign and bought it. For me! Aren't I a lucky egg.

Master Drama fled down south this morning to visit with some theater chums for the next few days, and as Professor Sarcasm is currently off at a Professor's convention (or assassinating foreign ambassadors, still not sure what she does on her many trips), I am left alone in the Dojo to decide what best to do with my bottle of liquid death. Thus far in my long, evil life I have had only two encounters with this vile drink. The first were shots. The shot glasses were rimmed with salt, and the salt ended up settling into the bottom of the glasses. When the shots were taken, so was a big mouthful of salty goo. Not good times.

The other time was a Tequila Sunrise or Sunset or Sunspot or some such, which was actually quite tasty. I'm looking to stick with the tasty end of the spectrum. So tell me, friends, what are your favorite uses for Tequila? I shall try them out and let you know how it goes!

Until next time . . .