Thursday, October 2, 2008

Nine Was Fine

But eight will be great.

Life As We Knew It will be 8th on the New York Times Children's Paperback Best Seller list Oct. 12 (I have no idea how or why the publishing industry gets this information so early, but it does and I have proof):

8 LIFE AS WE KNEW IT, by Susan Beth Pfeffer. (Harcourt, $6.95.) A girl’s diary reflects the catastrophe that ensues when a meteor hits the moon. (Ages 12 and up)

Okay, that doesn't really look like proof. I could have just typed that myself, instead of doing such a fabulous cut and paste job. Although, entre nous, I would never describe the action of LAWKI that way. I like the "ensues" part (a clever play on my name), but frankly just because a meteor hits the moon, that doesn't mean there's going to be a catastrophe. I'd say something about how catastrophe ensues when the moon moves closer to Earth.

Actually I'd say something about how incredibly brilliant the book is, before getting to the part about girls and diaries and moons and the suchlike. And maybe even something about how the incredibly brilliant author has a brand new pair of pale pink eyeglasses, chosen in part so that her glasses wouldn't look quite so much like Sarah Palin's. Now that I think of it, I'd also put it something about how the incredibly brilliant author is nice to her mother. And doesn't litter.

More to the point, the two of you who have offered to buy another copy of LAWKI should it reach 7 on the best seller list really don't have to worry. It's beyond astonishing it's made it to 8, and I have no reason to think, hope, or fantasize that it will get any higher on the list.

Meanwhile, my brain has been hard at work on the once again untitled third book. Originally I'd been adamant that it wouldn't be in diary format. But I'm hearing it that way, so I'm leaning towards Miranda picking her journal up again. Nothing is definite, but I'm just about positive Baby Rachel is a baby boy, and one problem Miranda is going to have is bonding with a real human being and not her imagined baby sister.

Speaking of which, I've figured out a very clever way of getting all that meteor/moon stuff out of the way in the very beginning of the book (there is an off chance someone will read Book 3 without having read LAWKI or the dead and the gone). Miranda is going to write a diary entry about having a dream where she tells Baby Rachel what happened to the world. Just the tsunamis and volcanoes, etc. Not the personal stuff. Why would even a dream Baby Rachel care that Megan and Peter and Mrs. Nesbitt died?

My editor, by the way, has expressed concern with just how many characters I intend to kill off. As of the moment, all the core characters are alive at the beginning and end of the book (and in the middle for that matter). But you can't kill off all humanity without somebody dying, so I'm looking around for possible victims. I'm sure I'll find some eventually.

I'm off to check my e-mails and see if my agent has anything to report. When there's an official deal, I'll let you know. Until then, I'll see what other words rhyme with 8.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

As for victims, what about that minister who conned his flock into giving HIM their food? Miranda's friend and the friend's mother died because of him? Because this would be a case of the need to make an example, they could pull a "Cask of Amantiallo" (re: Poe), and bury him alive in a wall if more members of his flock died the same way as Miranda's friend. Sorry if I sound bloodthirsty, but this would probably be a savage time for anyone caught/suspected of hoarding that particular winter, and what passed for the "law" in that part of the country would probably need to do something drastic to drive the point home.

Anonymous Santa Fe

Anonymous said...

Congrats on being #8! Our book club just read LAWKI and we loved it. We are very excited about book #3. We think you should get book #1 made into a movie. By the way, is Dan coming back? We really liked him and would love to see him in the next one. He should drive up on a motorcycle and surprise her. And thank you for telling us that Lisa's baby was born. We were worried about them. Thank you again for writing this book! It rocks!

From the Lovettsville Library High School Book Club

Jessica (librarian)
Lexi
Abigail
Hannah
Samantha

Check out our blog: http://lovettsvillelibrary.blogspot.com

Susan Beth Pfeffer said...

Hi Anonymous Santa Fe-

I have a cousin who was very active in Santa Fe politics. We didn't agree politically (he's far more conservative than I), but I have fond feelings for Santa Fe, having visited him there once.

I can't kill off characters for hoarding, since Miranda's entire family hoards (and personally, I'm a fierce hoarder). But I hadn't thought about bringing the minister back in any capacity, and now, thanks to your comment, I am considering him as a possible and useful dead body.

So thank you and say hi to Santa Fe for me!

Susan Beth Pfeffer said...

Hello Jessica (librarian), Lexi, Abigail, Hannah and Samantha, aka the Lovettsville Library High School Book Club-

Thanks for your comment. I'm all in favor of someone making a movie out of LAWKI, or d&g, or anything else I've ever written, but I don't think it will ever happen. At least it hasn't yet and my guess is if it were going to, it would have by now.

I hear from lots of people who worry about Lisa and the baby, so I know I need to put them in to Book 3. I don't think I'm going to be able to get Dan back though. But I'll give it some thought to see if I can work it out somehow.

Thanks again for your comment. I love how LAWKI can inspire one person to write all kinds of nifty murderous ideas, and other people to write about romance!

Stephanie Pellegrin said...

I've always thought either book would make an excellent movie. Anybody know anybody in the film industry? I'll "accidentally" send them a copy of each book. Let's keep our fingers crossed!
And Susan- I give it three weeks to hit number 7. That's my prediction. :p

Anonymous said...

You have a point, Susan. MY point was that what Megan's minister did was especially heinous because he was directly responsible for people dying as a result of what he did -- that's why he'd probably be singled out for possible death.

I don't live in Santa Fe, I (sighing) only visited there last fall, but I'll still sign myself

Anonymous Santa Fe

Susan Beth Pfeffer said...

Good Sunday morning to Texas Pixie and Anonymous Santa Fe-

I'm all in favor of a movie version of LAWKI and/or d&g. My cousin Fran once at at Steven Spielberg's mother's restaurant (or met her at a restaurant or something), so that should be connection enough. It's not who you know. It's where you eat.

Speaking of Fran, we went to Santa Fe together to visit our cousin and his family. It was a long time ago, but a very pleasant visit. New Mexico is quite beautiful and very different in appearance from New York (now that I think about it, I've also been to LA and New Orleans and London and Paris and Waco with my cousin Fran, and they've all been very different from New York. And yet, I've managed to eat in every single one of those places).