L8r, G8r (41 page)

A CONVERSATION WITH

LAUREN MYRACLE

Why were your books banned and do you personally believe that they should have been?

Lots of my books have teen girls in them. Teen girls sometimes talk about sex. Teen girls sometimes have sex. Lots of grownups would like to believe that this is not true. I am not one of those grown-ups, and I think it's important and meaningful to give readers stories that reflect reality—in a respectful way. Like, not salaciously, but with the intent of saying, “Let's look at how this story played out. How'd it seem to work out for so-and-so?” And then the readers—who are SMART, damn it—can grapple with those issues themselves. And no, I do not believe my books should have been banned. I do not believe that any author should be banned, ever. Freedom of speech, dude. :)

What's your response when you are censored? Are you ever frustrated, or do you take pride in it?

At first I cried. And called my editor and apologized, because I felt so terrible about it. Now I take pride … but it requires a bit of emotional effort, because it still hurts to have people say, out loud and with venom, “Your books suck. YOU suck.”

What was your favorite part of writing the Internet Girls series?

My fave part of writing this series was NOT HAVING TO WRITE SETTING. I hate setting. In other books that aren't purely written in text/IMs, my annoying (awesome) editor makes me include setting, and it is hard.

Which of your characters is most like you, and which character do you wish you were more like?

I'm most like Winnie from the Winnie Years series. She's a good
girl, funny, tries to do the right thing. Often gets into embarrassing situations. I once ran over a squirrel on my bike.

Whom do I wish I were more like? I'm going to go with Cat from
Shine
, because she has courage in spades. She doesn't let the haters get to her. Sometimes I do.

How do you come up with your characters?

I follow my children around as they go through their lives and I spy on them. I wear a trench coat and carry a notepad. I am vair vair subtle.

Except, really, I do.

As an author, what's your average day like?

Oh, an average day of writing means MAKING MYSELF WRITE. And then thinking, “Oh, this is fun.” And then writing some more.

What do you think books offer that other forms of entertainment don't?

Books engage readers in a more intimate way than other forms of entertainment/media, I think. They encourage critical thinking.

What is your very best life advice?

Best advice? Sheesh. Imagine life is like this: You're waiting at a red light. You're stuck there. You didn't choose to be, but there you are. How are you going to spend your time? Bitching and moaning and looking at your watch, or thinking INTERESTING thoughts? Looking at the beautiful sky? Laughing at a joke? So, use this life WISELY—we're dead a lot longer than we're alive—and leave the universe a better place than when you got here.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Oh, bless my stars—so many people to thank! Which is lovely, yeah? Because it just confirms that the world is a big bundle of goodness, with people helping one another all around. So first and foremost: Thank you, world! (I'm cheesy, what can I say? But I totally mean it!)

Smilies galore to the hundreds (omg, thousands?) of girls who have contacted me through MySpace or my Web site. You all keep me real and give me soooo many fab ideas. And, of course, smilies to those sweet guy readers who e-mail me, too. Be proud! There are more of you than you think!

Thanks to Amy Winfrey for being the genius behind Big Bunny, thanks to Amber Kelley and her friend Cherie for helping me figure out my Boo Boo Bear problem, thanks to Brittany Lesser for her insights into the “evil girl” psyche, and thanks to the amazing and talented Melanie Dearman for her incredibly helpful feedback on the first draft of the novel. Thanks to Sarah Burnett for her naughtiness regarding the chicks. And thanks most emphatically to my friends and family, just because.

Thanks to my agent, Barry Goldblatt, for fearlessly embracing the bizarre culture of teenage girls as seen through the eyes of an oldhead (that would be me) who can't quite seem to grow up.

Thanks to everyone at Abrams for making the book so spifftacular, especially: Scott Auerbach, who is so good with details; Celina Carvalho, the gal responsible for the adorable cover art; Jason Wells, publicist and cutie-pie extraordinaire; Erica Finkel, goddess of cool and slave-driver of scary fierceness; and the ever brilliant Susan Van Metre, who makes these books what they are. I'm not kidding. Any good things, give credit to Susan. Any crappy parts, blame on me!

Finally, all the thanks and love in the world to Jack, Al, Jamie, and Mirabelle. You guys make my life so sunny, and that's why I'm able to spread some of that sunlight in my books. I love you!!!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

LAUREN MYRACLE
is the author of many books for teens and young people, including the
New York Times
bestselling Internet Girls series,
Shine, Rhymes with Witches, Bliss, The Infinite Moment of Us,
and the Flower Power series. She lives with her family in Fort Collins, Colorado. Visit her online at
laurenmyracle.com
.

Want to check out what Maddie is listening to? Go to
http://www.laurenmyracle.com/site/l8rg8r.html
for an exclusive Internet Girls playlist, curated by Lauren Myracle!