Hello! I am back from Indiana. It was very fun to visit everyone and celebrate Meg Cabot Day. I am a bit exhausted from it all, and need a few days off to recuperate (I also have to spend quality time with Henrietta, who missed us so much that she has not stopped talking since we got back, filling us in on every single thing that happened while we were gone. You know, in Cat Speak. Which sounds like: “Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow” and so on, but translated into human means: “While you were gone, this lady came in EVERY DAY, and I didn't know her, but she fed me, and she gave me water, and once, it rained outside, and there was thunder, and another time, when you were gone, I heard some hammering, and once I thought I heard a mouse, but it was only Mary, the ghost, and once, when you were gone….” and so on).
While I'm recuperating, I thought I would attempt to answer some of the mail I've received lately. I have gotten quite a lot about my newest book, TEEN IDOL. Most people seem to really like it, so thank you for all of your kind words of encouragement and praise!
But, of course, there are always a few dissatisfied customers, such as the ones below:
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Dear Meg,
I didn't like Jen, in your new book Teen Idol. She was too nice to everyone. I like your other characters, Mia and Sam, a lot more, because they have more negative thoughts. Just thought you should know, I thought Jen was too nice.
Dear Meg,
I didn't like Jen from Teen Idol. She was so mean! I thought she was very mean to the people who wrote in to Ask Annnie, and she was mean to her best friend. Just thought you should know, I didn't Jen was very nice.
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Seriously, I got both of these letters on the SAME DAY from two DIFFERENT people!
This is a good example of why so many writers become alcoholics and/or kill themselves. Because no matter what you do, you can't make everyone happy. You can write a book and have two people, like the ones above, read it COMPLETELY differently, even though it's the SAME BOOK.
This is why I think the old adage, “You are not a hundred dollar bill. Not everyone is going to like you,” is so apt.
It's maddening, really. Ultimately, I think the only solution is to stop reading my mail.
Just kidding.
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Dear Meg,
I sort of find it annoying that all of your books have something to do with hot guys and girl dreaming about them kissing, I'm not saying I don't do the same, but it seems like ALL your characters are thinking about guy stuff ALL of the time, although I enjoy your work greatly, that stuff gets kind of annoying.
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Dear Annoyed,
I'm so happy someone finally noticed! Yes, you are absolutely correct: there ARE hot guys in ALL of my books, and yes, there are always girls dreaming about kissing those hot boys in ALL of my books. Although obviously it is an exaggeration to say that my characters do this ALL the time, because if that were true, nothing would ever happen in my books.
Still, you all have my personal guarantee that this trend will continue IN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY BOOKS. Which is too bad for this reader, since she finds it annoying. Probably she'd better stop reading my books. Because when Meg Cabot guarantees something, she REALLY REALLY means it.
Yay for hot guys! Yay for girls who dream of kissing them!
Read on:
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Meg,Your always talking about not having a baby,because baby's are little people who just cry and sleep. Which made me think, Why don't you just adopt a 5 or 6 year old or something? I mean, they'd already know how to go to the bathroom and stuff. Kids a really cute at that age. Plus, You'd be giving a small child a better life out there if you adopted him/her from a poor country. Think about it.
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This is a very good suggestion, and over the weekend, I gave it a lot of thought. However, what the author of this letter fails to point out is that five year olds require a LOT of attention. I would definitely be way too busy chasing my adopted kid around, throwing him or her birthday parties and play dates, to write any more books.
And since that is how I earn my living, I think I better just avoid the entire kid thing altogether, and concentrate on writing books that kids as well as adults can enjoy. That can be my contribution to the world. That and raising a very nice one-eyed cat.
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Meg, I am a big fan of your books.I want to be a writer, and I love to write, and I always have great ideas for potential books running through my head.Alot of my friends really like things I write, and get mad at this problem I have.This problem is that I think none of my stories are good enough, so shortly after beginning them, I think they are crap and I rip them up and throw them away, thinking “Oh, no one will ever in a million years want to read a book with a storyline as (censored) as this one is.” And then it will take me a while to think up another story, i will share it with my friends, then I will rip it up, thinking its (censored).How do you keep confidence in your writing, and do you have any advice in how I can stop myself from being so critical in my own writing?
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The answer is:
You can't. Welcome to my world. This is what all writers go through every single day. There is no cure, and if you choose to enter the writing profession, this is what your life will be like for the rest of your life. Have fun!
PS Might I suggest medical school instead of a writing career? No? Well, just thought I'd try.
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ok i did your newest quiz and it said me ideal man was cal. but who is Call is my question
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Ah! Cal! Cal is the hero of my book Every Boy's Got One, which will be out in January 2005. If YOU would like to find out who YOUR ideal Meg Cabot hero is, go to www.megcabotbookclub.com and take this month's WHICH MEG CABOT HERO IS RIGHT FOR YOU quiz. You could get either Michael from Princess Diaries, Rob from 1-800-Where-R-You, Jesse from the Mediator series, Paul from the Mediator series, David from All American Girl, Scott from Teen Idol, or Cal from Every Boy's Got One. Good luck! I hope you get your dream date.
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Dear Meg, I just wanted to say that you inspired me to not be shy anymore when you talked about people not having a reason NOT to like you and it helped just in time for school!
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Well, thank you! I'm glad I was able to help. If YOU too suffer from shyness, like this reader and I used to, remember this important tip during Back To School time: Everyone WANTS to make a new friend. People WANT to like you (except those mean popular girls and Al-Quaeda. Just stay away from them).
Now go out and make a new friend today.
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Dear Ms Cabot I was wondering how you pronounce your last name. I always pronounce it like there is no t at the end and I wasn't sure if that was right or not. Thank you!
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My last name is pronounced Cabb-itt. It rhymes with rabbit.
Unless I am in France, and then it is pronounced Cab-bow. But I am hardly ever in France.
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Dear Meg,
I loved your Twilight excerpt! But you said it was “another” excerpt. Where was the first one?
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The first excerpt from Mediator 6, TWILIGHT, I posted on my blog a long time ago. You can find it in the archives of this blog. If you are too impatient to scroll through them all, though, go to www.jennycarroll.com and click on the Mediator link, and you can read it there. It's really just what's written on the back and fl
ap copy of the book TWILIGHT.
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Meg, could you tell me whether there are, or are going to be any more 1800whereryou books after Sanctuary? I think it could be the last as it sounded finished, but was just wondering. Thanks
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OK, here's the scoop: I've started writing a 5th book to the 1-800-Where-R-You series. When I say started, I mean STARTED. Don't ask me when (or if) you will be able to read it, because I don't know. I don't like to talk about books that I'm writing while I'm writing them, because I feel like this puts a curse on them, and then I never end up finishing them, because I talked about them too much. So please keep your fingers crossed and just know I'm trying to write one, but that it's in the really early stages, PLUS not even sold to anyone, so a lot could happen between now and when (or if) it ends up on shelves.
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Dear Meg,
Is Mia real?
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She is real in my heart, and that is real enough for me.
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Dear Meg Why are the movies of your books so different from the books?
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I assume this reader is talking about Princess Diaries 2, which will be in US theaters on Wednesday. The reason the movie is different from the books is that Disney wrote it. It is a movie that uses my CHARACTERS, but not my story. What happens in the movie will not be happening in my books.
This is all right with me, because Disney paid me for the rights to use my characters. Some people think I shouldn't have sold the rights to my characters to Disney, because these people don't approve of what Disney is doing with those characters. I am guessing that these are people who have parents who pay for everything, or who are perhaps independently wealthy. People who actually have to WORK for a living, like me, really like it when someone gives them a lot of money for something they invented—in this case, my characters. That's because I have bills to pay, and a small one-eyed cat to feed.
People who disapprove of the movies of my books are in a great position, because they can simply not go see the movie, and just read the books instead.
As for the rest of you, I fully expect to see you in the theater this week, laughing it up at Princess Diaries 2!!!! I missed the premiere for this film because I was in Indiana on my book tour, but I bet if you watch Entertainment Tonight or Access Hollywood tonight, tomorrow or Wednesday night, you'll be able to see some images of Julie and Anne and the rest of the gang having fun at the premiere. Advance reports on the film are that it is a lot of fun. So enjoy!
More later.
Much love,
Meg
