Question Week, Day 2: Surprise!

Today’s question is a two-parter:

1 – What was the most surprising thing about the publishing process/having your first book released? What was easy that you thought would be hard, and conversely, what was hard that you thought would be easy?

I guess the most surrprising thing about the publication of Secret Society Girl was how different it was than the way I’d envisioned my first book release. For such a long time I’d been visualizing my career as starting in category romance, so for my first book to be a harcover mainstream release with a big summer push was far, far beyond anything I’d ever imagined for myself. So everything was different: format, marketing, publicity, you name it. That was all crash course. Since my background was in romance, I had to take a crash course in mainstream, and I also had to learn about what hardcover meant.

As far as the publication process — editing, copyediting, etc., it wasn’t much harder or easier than I thought it would be. It was challenging work, but I expected it. The main thing that came easily that I’d always thought was hard was getting editor and agent interest in the manuscript. In the past, that had always been the real sticking point. Prior to SSG, I’d gotten over 18 rejections on my last manuscript. But for SSG I got several agent offers in a matter of days, and six houses made offers to publish the book within a week and a half. I was pretty much in shock over that for some time afterward. The main thing I took from the experience was that it really is all about having the right project at the right time. I have friends who have been writing and rewriting the same projects that are on their fifth or sixth go around to houses in various incarnations. They refuse to stick it in a drawer. I am a firm believer in moving on. Give each manuscript a fair shot, and then go on to the next one. The next thing might be the one that opens doors for you. Now when I look back at some of the rejections I was receiving– great voice but not right for us, please send us something else; I look forward to reading something else by you; I hope you submit to me again — it seems obvious to me. I don’t know why I didn’t see it sooner. Move on; keep writing; find the right project, the one that makes them pant.

The thing that was harder than I expected was dealing with negative criticism. I’d been so lucky in my submission– everyone seemed to love it– that I was really shocked that the tide of good will wasn’t universal. I was so confused when I got my first bad review. Though I’d gotten used to the idea of “some will love it, some won’t ‘get it’ with my previous manuscripts, I was initially bowled over when some people simply didn’t get my story. I’m getting better at shrugging it off. It helps to remember how subjective humor is — inconceivably, some people don’t think I’m funny. It helps also to realize that some people wanted an attack on secret societies, which isn’t what I’m writing about. I’d like to say that anyone who says the cirtics don’t bother them is lying, but I’ve met some people with such astounding senses of self and purpose that I want to garb myself in robes and sit at their feet and cry, “Master, teach me this art!”

2 – Okay you mentioned you envisioned Lisa Kudrow reading your book, but if SSG were to be made into a movie, who would be your ideal cast?

Actually, I never said that. I never spent any time picturing an audiobook reader, but if I did, it probably wouldn’t be Lisa Kudrow, though I love her. I don’t know if she’s got the right “type” voice. They’d probably get someone who sounds like a college girl, wouldn’t you think? You must be referring to this post, in which I discuss Ellen Meister’s book, Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA, which is, in fact, read by Lisa Kudrow in the audiobook version. Kudrow, by the way, if you listen to the sample, has the perfect voice for this narrative about PTA members gone wild.

Coincidentally, Ellen Meister herself has already covered the “casting” topic on her blog. When she did the GCC tour of me, she asked me who I’d cast in various parts of SSG, and in the process, found one of the most astoundingly beautiful pictures of Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia, The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants), who I think would make a great Amy… She’s very intelligent, yet she’s got this unmistakeable everygirl look about her. Love it.

And then I keep changing my mind for all the others. The problem is that it has a lot less to do with each individual person I would cast than it does with how their chemistry works together. I heard once that when Star Wars was being cast, they worried a lot more about how the leads interacted with each other than how they each did on their own. And you can see it all the time in television series — once they get people on the screen and watch their chemistry working, certain pairings and plot developments seem a more natural fit.

At the time of the Meister blog, I was marvelling at Kristen Bell’s crying scenes in Veronica Mars, and thought she might make a good Clarissa, though I was trying for someone icier than that. Thoughs he could play icy probably. Who knows? Rachel McAdams rocked in Mean Girls. Ice queen blonde is what I want. Just call me Hitchcock.

The guy I’d really want for Malcolm, Paul Walker, is not only a little too old for the part now, but he also probably got more than his fill of secret society stories when he was in The Skulls last century. So I need someone who can do that effortless Steve McQueen kind of thing. Very very hot, very very cool.

George…it’s up in the air. I know how I envision him, but it’s actually not all that much like Orlando Bloom after all. I’d need someone drop dead gorgeous and with enough charisma to fuel a jet engine. When I look at pictures of Mr. Bloom, I’m all eh. But for some reason, on screen, I can’t look away. Presence. George is gorgeous, it’s true, but more than that, he’s attractive, in the most basic sense of the word. There are just so many parts of him that I describe. When I talk about his smile, I’m really thinking of that cocky grin you get from a young Harrison Ford. When I describe how hot he looks in his glasses, I’m really thinking of how well David Duchovny rocked his specs in certain episodes of the X-Files (though George’s actual glasses belong to my brother. I’ve always admired them and said I was going to give them to a hero one day). The chiseled nature of his bone structure and all is very, very Orlando Bloom, and the origin of his eyes are a secret… but the main thing would be that the second he appears on screen, ever single person in the audience has to be hypnotized.

Brandon is tough, because Hollywood doesn’t have many famous half-Asian young actors lying around. Oliver James is about as close as I can come to Brandon, and that’s after we train the English accent out of him. I like this picture of him because he looks so collegiate in this shot. Doesn’t he look like he’s sitting on Amy’s couch, waiting for her?

Speaking of English accents, I’d love to get rid of Christian Coulson’s and cast him as Poe. He’s always just what I pictured for Amy’s nemesis, not least, I’m sure, because he played a convincing teenaged Voldemort in the second Harry Potter film. And here he is in a grubby t-shirt, just like I always describe Poe wearing!

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Keep those questions coming!