Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Riley won't be at this dog-friendly meeting, but we'll bring his regards to the other dogs.

I'm "taking a meeting" today, and it's the kind of environment that makes me very happy.

1 � It's on a lot where I've worked for years, and where I feel blissfully comfortable.

2 â€� The place is dog friendly.Ìý There will be at least two dogs within easy petting distance, and several more just a short walk away.

3 � The last time I in the same room as two of the four other people in the meeting, we were on a bachelorette retreat.

4 � I get to bring Miss M, who gives great meeting, especially when she's being plied with cookies.

In other words, this is going to be way more friends-hanging-out than button-down meeting, with the bonus that we get to concoct something fun and creative, then plot ways to actually bring it to life.

I'll let you know how it goes.

How about you?Ìý Do you ever get to mix work with friendship?Ìý And if so, what has been your best working-with-friends experience?

The pic has nothing to do with this post, really... but it's my friend Craig and I mid-Mammoth Mud Run and it seriously rocks.

I LOVE .

You put it on your iPhone/iTouch, start it up when you begin a run, and it not only GPS maps the route, but it also tracks your pace per mile, the length of your run, calories burnedâ€� everything.Ìý Even better, it yells in your ear every mile so you know how you're doing.Ìý "Average pace, nine minutes, fifty-six seconds per mile.Ìý Miles completed, two-point-zeroâ€�"Ìý It also lists your miles per hour speed, and your current pace.Ìý When you're done, you can post the whole magilla to Facebook.Ìý You don't have to, of course, but since I'm running partnerless at the moment, I appreciate the online support.

The other thing I love about it?Ìý It continues to run seamlessly in the background while you play with other applications, so you can flip over to the iPod app and change music at will â€� VERY important for someone like me, who craves musical distraction while running.

I ran the on Sunday, and in addition to keeping me on pace, the app proved something I had always heard: in long races, runners tend to go further than the actual race mileage.Ìý While road races are measured correctly, an individual runner will also move laterally to avoid other runners, they might take the long way around cornersâ€� there are any number of ways they might inadvertently increase their distance.

Personally, I ran 13.5 miles instead of 13.1.Ìý Sounds negligible, but it totally makes a difference, especially when I eschewed taking pictures with the characters in pursuit of a good chip time.Ìý I ended up finishing in two hours, fourteen minutes â€� just under a 10-minute-mile according to Map My Run (the math works when you include the extra .4 miles).Ìý I'm very happy with itâ€� but I'd love to break two hours one of these years.

Runners â€� do you use this app?Ìý Do you use a similar one?Ìý How do you track your progress?

Just two months till the NYC Marathon!Ìý Can't wait!

Many, many years ago, I bought my husband a balloon animal making kit.Ìý I did this because we always thought it would be hysterical if he was That Guy â€� the one who whips out balloons at parties â€� grown-up parties, of course â€� and starts squeaking them into animals.

He laughed appreciatively at the gift, but never opened itâ€� until now.Ìý Only, it wasn't my husband who opened it, it was Miss M.Ìý And she did so with the words, "Hey Mommy, let's make balloon animals!"

Turns out making balloon animals is a little complicated for an almost-7-year-oldâ€� and a little addictive for her mother.Ìý Behold my first creations!

Non-specific dog and a poodle. Miss M added the eyes.

And from the side... by my box of Populazzi books, of course

I did a swan too, but those long-necked buggers are impossible.Ìý Next up is a giraffe.Ìý Then maybe a lion.Ìý I fully expect my office to be covered in no time at all.

Your turn � have the kids in your life helped you unearth any Gong Show worthy talents?

See the title?Ìý I'm trying that theme thing I talked about.Ìý It might be a holiday, but it's still Monday, so I'm going for The Book Scoop.

I'm typing this in the middle of the night Sunday, after crashing out early post-Disneyland Half Marathonâ€� which I can chat about on Food and Fitness Scoop Wednesday!Ìý (See how easy this is?Ìý I'm so excited, I feel like Doofenschmirtz describing an Inator before it all goes horribly wrong.)

You have to get to the start line WELL before the race starts at Disneyland, and I used to hate the down time, but yesterday I had my phone with meâ€� which means I had iBooks with me.Ìý I spent the hour and a half before the race reading .Ìý I'm loving the book â€� so much so that the start of the race bummed me out â€� I was at a really good part.

Stay is the first book I've read on my phone.Ìý I read on the iPad all the time, but I thought the phone would be too small â€� like reading a book printed for an insect.Ìý Turns outâ€� yupâ€� size doesn't matter.Ìý The interface is so clear that reading is a breeze.Ìý I will now be insufferably reading on my phone at every opportunity.Ìý I'll try and refrain from doing so at red lightsâ€� but it'll be hard.

How about you?Ìý Do you read on your phone, or is the screen too small to make the experience enjoyable?

There's a great big beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of this week's blog...

With the beginning of September and the end of my stint at (which you should still totally visit � the new Debs are terrific!), this seems like a good time to navel-gaze.

Or in this case, blog-gaze.

I've now been blogging for a little over a year, and if I'm judging the year honestly, I'd say my strengths would be the posts themselves, which I think work well.

My weaknesses?Ìý First and foremost, erratic new-post schedules.Ìý I want to post Mon-Fri, and I think I've accomplished that ONCE over the past year.Ìý Sometimes I hit four days a week, mostly I've done threeâ€� sometimes less.Ìý I don't think five a week is unrealistic (I also don't think journaling five minutes a day is unrealistic â€� ask me how well I've stuck to that annual resolution), but I think I can help myself achieve it, which brings me toâ€�

Another weakness: topics that jump all over the map with no rhyme or reason.Ìý Not that there's anything wrong with random absurdity â€� in fact I kind of like it â€� but I think I can talk about all the same things in a more structured way, so you and I both have a general idea of what to expect on any given day.

I took a long look at what I love, and topics on which my opinions/stories/amusing anecdotes might be worthwhile to you (it's amazing all the things you can find in your navel), and here's what I came up with:

Books: The creative and business sides of being an author and co-author, plus books and authors I love.Ìý (I just finished â€� get it now â€� can't believe it took me this long to read it!)

Family: Miss M, Riley the Wonder Dog� heck, I haven't even posted about our giant family trip to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which was AMAZING!!!!

Food and Fitness: Marathons (I'm doing my FIFTH Disneyland Half Marathon this weekend), Boot Camp, getting in shape, and discoveries of deliciousness

TV/Film: The creative side (writing for TV); the business side (the inside scoop on pitching and politics); and the fangirl side (Glee is coming back soon, and it's almost time for my seasonal Survivor pool!).

And since there's all kinds of other random stuff that might crop up, I'd also want a catch-all day.

Soooo� what do you think about this daily schedule?

Monday � Book Scoop

Tuesday � Fit'n'Food Scoop

Wednesday � Industry Scoop

Thursday � Family Scoop

Friday � Scoop Soup (that'd be the catch-all day)

I'm not married to this yet, but I wanted to toss it out there and see what you think.Ìý And since I'm blog-gazing, I welcome any constructive criticism.Ìý You've been amazing this year-and-a-bit, and I value your opinions tremendously.

Thanks in advance!!!!

Ìý

Ìý

I.Ìý Had.Ìý The Coolest.Ìý Saturday.Ìý Ever!

I did my first Mud Run.

At altitude.

With a nasty cold.

It was the , touted as the highest-altitude mud run race.Ìý The course was only four miles long, but it was grueling.Ìý It started with a long slog uphill, after which we sloshed through a thigh-high mud pit; vaulted over giant logs; crawled through a low muddy swamp lined with razor-sharp rocks and covered by thick, concussion-inducing tree-trunks; then ran at a ninety-degree angle up a ski slopeâ€�

…and that was just the first mile.

It was INSANE.

By the time we hit that vertical uphill, it was no longer a Mud Run.Ìý It was a Mud Trudge.Ìý Still, every time there was a straightaway, I picked up my feet and attempted to jog â€� no easy task since my mud-soaked sneakers weighed five pounds each.

The jogging didn't last long.Ìý There were more uphills, and more obstacles, including a mud pit so deep it came up to my chest, and the 13-year-old-boy keeping pace with me had to swim to make it through.

Thankfully, physics rules: what went up had to come down, and the last mile was all downhill.Ìý Treacherously downhill, with no clear path over the rocks, branches, and brambles that lined the steep plummet to the final obstacle, a slide coated in soapy water that you had to throw yourself down headfirst.Ìý I was sure I was done at that point, and threw my hands in the airâ€� only to hear jeers from the crowd and screams to keep going â€� the finish line was still a quarter mile away.

Finally, I climbed over the mound of snow at the actual finish line, flushed with elation. Okay, it might have been e-coli from the mud pits, but I choose to believe it was elation.Ìý As always post-race, for a few shining moments, I felt like nothing in the universe was out of my reach.

That's why I love to run.

I'm crazy about my career path.Ìý Writing feeds me, and making a living at it is a dream come true.

It also gives me ulcers on a daily basis.

That's the business of writing â€� so much of it is completely out of our control.Ìý We do everything we can: we write things we're proud of, we pitch our hearts out, we promote like crazyâ€� but there's no formula to success.Ìý That's out of our handsâ€� and yet especially when it's our livelihood as well as our passion, it's brutally important.

Hence, ulcers.

Races, however, are the anti-ulcers.Ìý I like finishing strong, but the truth is it's inconsequential whether or not I kick butt in a race.Ìý There's no pressure; I do my best, and let go of any and all expectations beyond that.Ìý I feel like a superstar just for finishing as well as I can; and the emotional boost I get from that achievement keeps me mentally floating on air all day.

If I could channel my running attitude into my writing life, I'd be completely stress-free.

Oh â€� turns out the Mud Run had an even happier ending.Ìý Now that I've entered into a new decade, I'm in a new age groupâ€� and I placed third in my division!Ìý It earned me the gorgeous medal in the pic, which I'll display proudly.Ìý I'll make it my business to look at it when I'm feeling neurotic about work, and maybe I can recapture the euphoria that comes from doing my best and being completely satisfied, no matter what happens next.

How about you?Ìý Do you get angst-y over the business side of writing, or are you able to capture and hold the zen of satisfaction in a job well done?

, I had scored the major coup of scheduling my book launch at the best indie bookstore in Los Angeles, .Ìý I had a date and a time, which left me with two tasks:

1.Making It Special

2. Getting People There

To my mind, #1 was the key to #2, and #2 was vital.Ìý Back in the days that I was promoting my marathon book, I had one extremely long day sitting at a bookstore under a sign with my name, face, and book cover on it, surrounded by stacks of booksâ€� and not a single person.Ìý Worse than the embarrassment was the Tantalus effect: I had nothing but time, I was surrounded on all sides by books I was dying to readâ€� but I had to make a show of looking welcoming to every customer in the store, on the chance that they might take pity on me and come buy a bookâ€� or at least offer me a snack.Ìý (It's hungry work sitting at a table all day.)

That said, I had no illusions about who I wanted to get there.Ìý The minute I floated the idea of a book launch party, my editor, internal and outside publicists, and manager all said the same thing: don't expect the public to come racing.Ìý Book signings don't typically draw huge crowds.Ìý There are all kinds of exceptions: authors with long track records of brilliance (someone like ), or authors who already have a fan base outside writing (I had the pleasure of hanging out with at one of her signings, and the throngs clamoring for her were incredible.Ìý I actually wrote a about the experience at the time).

No, I wasn't expecting the huddled masses yearning to breathe free pouring into my book launch party.Ìý If I wanted to fill Vroman's â€� and I really, really wanted to fill Vroman's â€� I'd be filling it with friends and family.Ìý This isn't a bad thing: the shocking truth about a book launch is that it happens when you're looking the other way.Ìý was supposed to come out August 1, 2011.Ìý Online retailers started shipping it July 19th, and my nationwide network of spies started seeing it at bookstores shortly thereafter.Ìý At no point in those two weeks did a horde of fans sweep out of the stands, hoist me onto their shoulders, and parade me around a football field as champagne corks popped and confetti fell from the sky.

Weird, I know.

And while I maybe didn't expect my book launch to be exactly like Peyton Manning accepting a Lombardi trophy, I did expect something â€� some sense that a seismic shift had occurred in the fabric of my life.Ìý I mean, I had a real, live, hardcover book out on the shelves!Ìý This was monumental, wasn't it?Ìý Shouldn't something in the universe acknowledge this?

Wellâ€� no.Ìý It's not up to the universe to acknowledge it; it's up to us as authors.Ìý Did I want to sell books at my book launch party?Ìý Of course.Ìý But even more importantly, I wanted to mark the occasion in a memorable way, surrounded by friends, family, and anyone else who wanted to join in the celebration.Ìý This brought me back to my two goals: Making It Special and Getting People There.

Making It Special meant making it a party: food, drinks, and music.Ìý I asked Vroman's in advance: could they accommodate a groaning dessert table?Ìý Could I serve wine?Ìý Could I crank tunes in the middle of their store?

Yes, yes, and yes.

I love Vroman's.

The food came from three places.Ìý If you've read Populazzi, you know play a major symbolic role, so I had a huge assortment of the Philly snack cakes shipped out for the occasion.Ìý In addition, my friend Syrna did me the huge honor of donating fresh baked cookies and dessert bars from her bake shop, .Ìý Finally, I approached a mom at Miss M's school who recently started a custom-sweets business, , and ordered cookies that looked like the Populazzi cover.

Getting People There?Ìý You've already seen the I sent out in mid-July.Ìý I also , did a , and Tweeted about the thing like wild.Ìý Vroman's publicized it as well â€� the party was on their online calendar, there was signage in the store, and they joined me in tweet-fest.

Finally, even though I wasn't counting on the public at large to storm Vroman's for a copy of my book, I wasn't writing them off either.Ìý My amazing publicist made sure the launch party was in every local paper, I placed it on (a popular list of events geared towards L.A. moms), and a friend at placed it in their newsletter.

Now all that was left was the event itselfâ€� which I'll get to in the next post.Ìý

In the meantime, I'd love to knowâ€� do you go to book signings?Ìý And if so, how do you find out about them?Ìý Personally, I usually find out by word of mouth, but I've also gone to two events because I saw signs outside the store.Ìý One was for with whom I'd worked on a TV special ages ago; the other was for , ak.a. Eddie from Frasier.Ìý Nothing against Adriana â€� she was fantastic â€� but I must admit I didn't have to sit on my hands to stop from launching myself at her, the way I did with Moose.Ìý Now that was an author who pulled a crowd.

Ìý

Ìý

Yup, when we last left our heroes, I'd written part one of what will likely be a three part post on Book Launch Parties, but it's the last gasp of summer before Miss M goes back to school, time is not my own, and it's now 4am and I need to sleep� so Part Two will need to wait a while.

Instead, I need advice.

On Saturday I'll be doing my first Mud Run.

Has anyone ever done one of these?Ìý It's a 6K filled with obstaclesâ€� and a giant pit of mud.

Old running shoes, for sure.Ìý I had intended to wear shorts, but my husband read that it's smarter to wear running tights, to keep mud from getting stuckâ€� wellâ€� everywhere.

I'm brand new to the whole obstacle run thing, so I welcome any and all advice about what to wear, what to have handy post-race, and what to expect along the way.Ìý The run is in Mammoth, and I have to figure out what to pack!

Thanks in advance!

I know, I know� it has already been two weeks since my Book Launch Party, and I still haven't properly blogged about it!

In this case, "properly" means starting with how it came about.Ìý As a first-time novelist, I had no idea how these things work, so I'll share in case you're curious, or you find yourself in a similar situation.

First, a note about book signings in general.Ìý I learned something when I did my marathon travel guide: publishers don't set up book signings.

I shouldn't say that.Ìý Sometimes they do.Ìý My guess is that someone like doesn't arrange her own appearances.Ìý I could be wrong, but that would be my guess.Ìý I even recall my fellow blogger talking about getting sent to places on her book tour, so it's something that can happen even for first-time novelists.

However, that's not the norm.Ìý There are a lot of books out there, and publishers don't have the coffers to send out every author.Ìý I get it â€� when I did the marathon book, I was so excited and motivated that I sent myself on tour.Ìý It was a massive cash outlay (most of which was a tax write-off, though I did get audited for that year and owed the government $300 because I lost a bunch of receiptsâ€� but that's another story), and I sold only a handful of books at each appearance.

Still, how often does your first novel come out?Ìý By definition, once, right?Ìý I wanted to mark the occasion in a big way, and a launch party seemed ideal.Ìý Not just a signing, but a party, with snacks, music, drinksâ€� hell, if I could put in a dance floor and disco ball, I'd do it.Ìý And yes, I'd read a little from the book and scrawl my name a few times along the way.

The Fabulous Fonda, my manager, suggested some book stores here in L.A., but in my mind there was only one location: in Pasadena.

Vroman's is the Willy Wonka's of bookstores.Ìý It's titanic.Ìý Remember when the big box stores first opened in the 1980′s and they seemed unreal, more like amusement parks than bookstores?Ìý They were so spacious and clean, and filled not only with more books than you'd ever seen in one place, but also all kinds of cunning knickknacks and comfy places to lounge?Ìý Vroman's is like that, only better, and this reader's paradise is an indie, which makes me want to stand up and cheer.

It also has a spectacular area set aside for appearances, with which I was very familiar since I'd recently seen both Eleanor Brown and there.

I wanted Vroman's� but how to make Vroman's want me?

Thanks to Kim, I got the inside scoop.Ìý When I went to see her reading, she marched me over to one of the Vroman's employees (Morgan) and said, "This is my friend Elise Allen, she has a fabulous YA novel coming out in August, and the two of you should talk."Ìý Thus launched, I went into my spiel about Populazzi.Ìý Morgan told me about Jennifer, who handles these things, and gave me a sheet about How To Successfully Book Vroman's For Your Event.Ìý What they want boiled down to two basic things every book store wants:

Book in AdvanceÌý Vroman's gets many requests for events at their store, so give them plenty of lead time â€� at least six weeks.

Assure Them It's Worth Their WhileÌý No, I'm not talking about bribery (though hey, if it would helpâ€�).Ìý Bookstores just want to know that if they're going to go to the trouble of ordering a big stack of books for your reading, there's a good shot a large percentage of those books will sell.Ìý If you have friends and family in the area, belong to organizations that might come out and support you, and/or have a local fan base, the store will be far more eager to book your event.

I received that sheet in spring, and while I won't say I'm a procrastinator� okay, I'm a bit of a procrastinator.

I didn't email Jennifer until June.

Here's the note I sent:

Jennifer �

My name is Elise Allen, and I'm very interested in holding a launch event for my Young Adult novel, Populazzi, at Vroman's.Ìý The book releases August 1, 2011, so I would ideally like the event to occur August 6th or August 13th.Ìý Though there are other independent bookstores in L.A., I would very much love to hold this event at Vroman's, because I'm such a huge fan of the store.Ìý I recently attended the signings of two of my friends, Eleanor Brown and Kim Stagliano, and enjoyed them tremendously.Ìý It was at Kim's event that I met Morgan in the YA department, who recommended I write to you.

While Populazzi is my debut solo novel, it's not my first book.Ìý I am Hilary Duff's co-writer, and am credited on the title page of both Elixir and its follow-up, Devoted.Ìý I've also been a working writer here in L.A. for many years, and was recently nominated for an Emmy for my writing on the show Dinosaur Train.Ìý Since I've lived and worked in L.A. for the past 17 years, I have a large network of friends and associates who would turn out for my book launch event.Ìý My husband is an L.A. native, and knows even more people in the area, many of whom would also be delighted to attend.Ìý In addition, I'm affiliated with the LAYAs, Los Angeles Young Adult Authors.Ìý We do our best to turn out for one another's events.Ìý All in all, I feel confident that I could bring a crowd to your store, and would in fact be thrilled to do so.

Populazzi was recently selected by GirlsLife.com as one of the Top 40 Hits of the Summer, a list that included not only books, but also music, movies, and TV shows.Ìý You can learn more about me and about Populazzi at my website, .Ìý Several blurbs and reviews are posted there as well.Ìý In the meantime, the summary below will tell you a little bit about the book:

{You all know the by now, so I won't include it here}

Thanks so much for your time and consideration, Jennifer!Ìý I look forward to speaking with you soon, and ideally doing a wonderful event together!

All the best,

Elise

I pushed "send," then held my breath for 24 hours until she responded yes, she'd be thrilled to have the launch party at Vroman's.Ìý We went back and forth over specific dates and times (I should have emailed even earlier â€� they were already quite booked for August), and finally agreed on Saturday, August 6th, 2pm.

So now I had the place� I just needed to pull together a party.

More on that next time � this post is already awfully long, and it's also awfully late (I mentioned the procrastination thing, right?).

In the meantime, if you could hold your book launch event anywhere, where would it be?

Ìý

Quick: you're in an airport, you have no books on your Kindle/iPad/eReader, you've finished the ones you brought along for the trip, and the only "bookstore" is the one by the gate where they only have the most miniscule cross-section of paperback bestsellers.

What do you buy for the flight?

This was my dilemma the other day.Ìý I'd brought two books with me for my Disney trip: and .Ìý Both were excellent, by the way, though very different.Ìý 13 Reasons Why is a high-concept YA phenomenon: a wildly compelling story of a girl who committed suicide, and her posthumously-revealed reasons why she felt she had no other choice.Ìý Love In Mid Air is an emotionally vivid dive into the inner workings of a long-term marriage, one that enters its final death throes as the lead character starts an eye-opening love affair.

I finished 13 Reasons halfway through the plane ride to Orlando; Love In Mid Air just before we left for the flight back.Ìý I had books on my iPad, but I knew Miss M would commandeer the device for Alvin and the Chipmunks.Ìý I couldn't get on the plane without a book, but the selection was pitifully small.

My options included both King and Koontz, usually faves for this kind of occasion, but neither tempted me this time.Ìý Nicholas Sparks was represented, but while I respect him as an author, I'm not generally a fan (though I love The Notebook).Ìý Janet Evanovich had some high-numbered Stephanie Plum novel, but I left the series after book 8 and never looked back.Ìý Then came a random assortment of romance novels, but unless a romance is by , I'm unlikely to buy it.

No, a last-minute plane purchase had to fill a very specific niche: it had to grab my attention and hold it for about five hours.Ìý A gripping book would make the flight speed by; a boring one would make it miserable.

I chose Midnight Mile by Dennis Lehane.Ìý I'd read Mystic River on a plane and loved it, so I was happy to put my trust in him again.Ìý He didn't let me down.Ìý It's a crime novel with aÌý high body count, cranked-up tension, unique characters, and enough humor to keep the works humming.Ìý It's not a spectacular book, but it was perfect for the occasion.

We've talked about this at , and at the time I said I don't need a specific kind of book for travel â€� whatever I'm reading at the moment is perfect.Ìý That's true, but if I have nothing with me and need to grab from that small newsstand collection, I'll always go for either the hard-boiled crime novel (ideally from an author I already know and trust) or something chilling from Koontz or King.Ìý Those are the ones that will make the hoursâ€� wellâ€� fly.

How about you?Ìý You've seen those scanty racks of top paperbacks.Ìý Which type is your go-to for a long haul on a plane?Ìý Any authors you prefer for the occasion?Ìý Have you ever grabbed the wrong book and suffered the hideous-flight consequences?