Hello Fellow Fierce Nerds, After a brutal flight back from Hawaii — having a toddler on an overnight flight is always a ton of fun — here are the four bright spots in an otherwise overcast (and seriously sleepy) morning: 1. Fierce and Nerdy is BACK! So happy as we missed you soooo much! 2. We’ve got a new co-editor. Amy Robinson from “Tall Drink of Nerd” is now our Blogumnist Editor. We’re so excited to have her aboard. Super-yay!!! 3. CH got his second (but no less exciting) Lighting Direction Emmy nomination for the fantastic Michel Gondry-directed episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live below . Other than this being a huge honor for CH, the nom means I get to throw on a fancy dress and do the whole 80s montage makeover thing again. I’m already wondering what I’m going to do with my now-much-shorter hair, what color I should paint my nails, what I’m going to wear, and of course, what 80s songs I’ll play while I’m getting ready — right now I’m leaning toward Prince… 4. Last but not least, we received an unprecedented number of entries to our 32 CANDLES Tote and Gift Card Contest. Thanks so very much to everyone who entered and helped spread the word about the 32 CANDLES paperback release. Here are our 14 Winners in the order that they were generated by the Random.org picker: Stephanie Bejune Teva Hutchinson Hope Murphy Angelia Kenisha Rhone Catherine Reid Susan J Taylor PJ Barnes Winfield Peyton Rhonda Hyde Sonia Aprill Allen Doret Ronda Atwater Congrats,...

Hello Dearest, Just wanted to get a few things out of the way, before we get into this week’s big batch of procrastination. Our last for a while, since the blog is going on vacation for the next couple of weeks. 1) On July 15th, we’ll be naming the 14 winners of a $25 32 CANDLES gift card AND the (seriously) limited edition paperback tote, so enter to win HERE. 2) Is your book club planning to read 32 CANDLES this summer? If so, you could win all sorts of neat-o prizes including totes for your entire club and/or a $100, $150, or $250 32 CANDLES gift card for your club. So definitely enter to win those prizes HERE. 3) We’re going to miss you soooo much while we’re away on vacation, but make sure to keep on visiting us, as we’re doing our Best of FaN reruns until July 18th, when we’ll be back with fresh material and lovely tans. That all said, Happy Independence Day. Here’s some stuff to procrastinate on, while you’re waiting to get out of the office already. 1. My third novel has a speculative fiction aspect to it, and it seems like something’s popping off in the black author zeigist, because not only is Colson Whitehead’s next book about zombies, but now Zadie Smith, says that she’s interested in writing a speculative or sci-fi novel within the decade. Loving this trend. [i09] 2. You know how I complained HERE last year about how THE WALKING DEAD television series (unlike its graphic novel source material) seriously underused their characters of color. Well, it looks like the TV series is bringing on the original story’s Michonne, one of the most kick-ass black females in comic history (yay!) … but maybe...

Hey-o, have I mentioned the $25 customized gift cards and the customized 32 CANDLES totes that we’re giving away every day until July 15th? You should totally hop on that. Meanwhile, just wanted to thank Doret, from Color Online for her “10 Reasons to Buy 32 CANDLES by Ernessa T. Carter” post. My favorite: #4. [It’s a] perfect summer time read — I just really love the thought of people reading 32 CANDLES on the beach or at least on vacation. But definitely click on over to see the rest of her list. Last but not least, I did the 1/2 Dozen feature over Julianna Baggott’s blog “Home of Baggott & Asher & Bode.” I talk about bullies, what a horrible kid I was, and why you absolutely shouldn’t ever fall in love with a writer. So yeah, good...

Okay, before I go into my post, I’ve got to remind you to enter our 32 CANDLES paperback giveaway if you want one of the (very) limited edition 32 CANDLES tote bags and a $25 customized 32 CANDLES gift card. We’re giving away goodies until July 15th, so get on it. Other than that, I’m all over the interwebs right now, so if you’ve missed me actually, you know, blogging, then check out the below: 1. Writers often ask published authors (including me) for advice about getting published, how to get an agent, blah-blah-blah. There’s so much information out there about all of these topics that I’m not even going to bore you with the same advice all the other authors are doling out. No, for this post I’m going to keep it real with a seriously on the realz list of The Five Things I Wish I Had Done or Known BEFORE I Got Published [Script Shark] 2. Over at Carleen Brice’s blog, I’m talking about what I plan to read on my upcoming summer vacation. See who made the list and chime in with your beach reading suggestions. [White Readers Meet Black Authors] 3. I’m attending a few out of town events this summer for the paperback release of 32 CANDLES (in stores now, so please jump on it). However, I also have a two-year-old daughter. A lot of moms worry about missing important milestones when they’re out of town. How about if she says her first three-syllable word or reveals a prodigious talent for the violin when I’m not looking? But not me. I don’t worry about milestones, I don’t worry about my daughter missing me for the days I’m away — I just worry about her hair. More specifically will her hair...

32 CANDLES is officially out in paperback, and we need your help to get the word out . So we’ll be picking a 32 CANDLES prize winner every single weekday from June 28, 2011 – July 5, 2011. The Daily Prize: A $25 customized 32 Candles Gift Card AND a limited edition 32 CANDLES Tote Bag! Just do any of the below, and let me know HERE, then you’ll be eligible to win. 1. Buy the book online. 2. Buy the book at a store. Remember we’re at Target, too, now. So you can pick up the book along with your laundry detergent! 3. Spread the word on Twitter. Here’s some copy for you to cut and paste: I loved 32 CANDLES and now it’s out in paperback. Pick it up at your local bookstore or get it at Amazon: http://amzn.to/ix2wng 4. Spread the word on Facebook. Here’s the copy again: I loved 32 CANDLES and now it’s out in paperback. Pick it up at your local bookstore or get it at Amazon: http://amzn.to/ix2wng 5. Make the 32 CANDLES cover your avatar or profile pic for at least 24 hours. 6. Leave a review at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Goodreads. THEN go to the 32 CANDLES paperback contest page; let us know what you did by filling out our super-simple form, and you’ll be entered to win!...

Hello Dearest, First of all, let me just give you a friendly reminder that this is the absolute last day to get the e-version of 32 CANDLES for only $4.99 on Kindle, Nook, or iBooks, and then it goes back to its regular price. Second of all, the folks at Free Book Friday are giving away three signed copies of the 32 CANDLES paperback. So if you want this bright yellow and pink goodness on your shelf for free, then hop on it. I’m only doing two weeks of promotions (got to get back to the second and third book  PLUS an awesome non-fic project that the co-writer and I will be announcing in just a lil’ bit, so keep your eyes on this space), so chances are this might be your only chance to get a free copy for quite a while. Click HERE to enter to win! Oh, and come back tomorrow, because we’re about to launch two weeks of all sorts of  giveaways, including ones for the (very) limited edition of the 32 CANDLES paperback totes. It’s going to be SO much fun. See you...

And you thought the 32 CANDLES hardcover was bright. You didn’t know nothing about no bright. This is the bright-bright right here. One of my favorite categories of fan mail start off like this, “I had never heard of your book, but then I saw it from across the bookstore/library…” I call these types of messages, the “32 CANDLES waved at me” emails. Anywho, not only does this new paperback cover wave, but it also comes complete with a nice blurb from my hero, Terry McMillan, so yays all around! Oh, and look for the waving paperback in stores on June...

Sorry sweetlings, had to run home quick like a bunny to St. Louis unexpectedly. Will be back on Monday, but no Hello Friday or Procrastinate on This! today. Meanwhile, do, do, do avail yourself of FIERCE ANTICIPATION and “Kicking Back With Jersey Joe” which are both coming up later. 100% Love,...

Hey Guys! A few notes about 32 CANDLES for the month of September: 1. If you live in or near Washington DC, do come out to the 32 CANDLES event THIS WEDNESDAY, Sept. 15, 6:30pm at Borders (Largo, MD). Get the details HERE. 2. In Pittsburgh? I’m going to be at Joseph-Beth Booksellers NEXT WEDNESDAY, Sept. 22, at 7pm. Those details can me found HERE. 3. Planning on hitting the Southern California Writer’s Conference this year? I’m the Sunday speaker. 4. We’re still working on Chicago and Atlanta dates, so do keep your eye the 32 CANDLES Events page. 5. In the meanwhile, please help us keep the momentum going by posting your reviews of 32 CANDLES on Amazon and more importantly, telling your friends that you enjoyed the book on Twitter, FB, and IRL. 6. Last but not least, I’ll be in New York City once again on Halloween weekend for The Circle of Sisters Conference. Attica Locke (BLACK WATER RISING), Terry McMillan (WAITING TO EXHALE, GETTING TO HAPPY), Dolen Perkins-Valdez (WENCH) and I will be taking part in a special Circle of Sisters Book Club event, so seriously, be there or be square (in a bad way). Check out the snazzy event page...

Hey, guys, just a few 32 CANDLES items today, then I’ll get back to my regular blogs for the rest of the week. 1. Hey-oh, I’ve been nominated in the category of “Author of the Year – Female” for the African American Literary Awards Show. Voting is easy and open to everybody, so please cast yours HERE. (My category is at #14 if you want to scroll down). 2. Many thanks to Lori Tharps who wrote a wonderful VOGUE BLACK item about 32 CANDLES. I’m actually reading and thoroughly enjoying the ARC of Ms. Tharps novel, SUBSTITUTE ME, as we speak, so do think about pre-ordering her insightful book HERE. 3. Want to read 32 CANDLES but low on dash? Evelyn N. Alfred is giving away a copy HERE. and Shalema McGhee is giving one away at “Authors in Color.” 4. If you’ve already read the book, would you do me the favor of an Amazon review? If so, you can leave yours HERE. 5. Last but not least 32 CANDLES is once again available on The Nook. If you order a copy before August 2010, please email Barnes & Noble about re-downloading. But other than that, the complete version is now ready for downloading HERE. Happy Reading! Friendly reminder, we’re hosting a 20-minutes-a-day writing challenge next month, so start thinking about projects that you might want to tackle in 20 minute spurts for the month of September! Oh, and as always, click on the pic to buy 32...

That was a line in the original draft of 32 CANDLES that got cut for some reason or other that I can’t remember. It doesn’t matter, the point is that I both love and hate August. Hate it because it’s the month that stands between me and my beloved Fall. Hate it because, I’m so sick of summer TV I could scream (for new episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, Big Bang Theory, and I’m sure some new faves). Hate it, because it’s like the law that every movie that comes out in August sucks. But I also love it, because August feels like a 31-day last chance. The last chance to do what I’ve been meaning to do all summer. Oh, and also, we take our big family vacation in August — but mostly I love it for the “last chance” bit. So here are my August goals. 1. Finish this gotdang draft of the rogue sci-fi novel and send it off to copy editor. At first it was fun writing a sci-fi novel while I promoted my women’s fiction novel. I wrote 32 CANDLES, when I was still a radio writer, and I’m still a big believer in having a side project from your main project. However, I’m just a third of the way through, and I was supposed to be done by September 1st, so I could get back to my second women’s fiction novel — you know the one that I might actually get paid for and the one that folks are actually wanting to read. But at the same time, I like to see my projects through. So if I say I’m going to be done by September 1st, then I’m going to have to get it done by September 1st....

… So let’s make this good. I know that quite a few of you gnashed your teeth and rented your clothes over the fact that both my LA area book events were on Mondays, which conflicted with (yes, these were actual excuses) stand-up comedy class, pole dancing class, and accounting class — apparently a lot of you decided to spend the summer learning how to do random stuff. I’m proud of you for that, but I also want you to come out to my book event, so how happy am I, that my last event of the summer will be THIS THURSDAY at the wonderful Esowon Books in historical Leimert Park? Please do come out. More info below and click on the pic to RSVP if you haven’t...

32 CANDLES has a very exciting week ahead, so let’s rundown our latest news, shall we? 1. Just in case you missed my announcement about the last chapter missing from the e-version of 32 CANDLES, please get the details HERE. We want everyone to read the full book and hope to have this all resolved soon. 2. Friendly reminder to keep on spreading the word about 32 CANDLES. We’re hoping to collect 50 Amazon reviews by the end of the month and the more tweets and Facebook updates you can spare, the better. The fact is that if this book is successful, it’s going to be successful because of your word of mouth. So please don’t stop talking about 32 CANDLES yet. 3. I’ve got a book event at Vroman’s Pasadena at 7pm tonight. LA folk, please come out! More info can be found HERE. 4. The publisher is throwing a book event for 32 CANDLES at Georgia Salon in Manhattan on Wednesday night at 6pm. NYC folk please come out. More info can be found below. 5. Live in the Philly/New Jersey area? My BFF extraordinaire is throwing a book event at an the Artworks Gallery in Trenton, New Jersey on Thursday night. And that info can be found...

I’m in your neck of the woods, tomorrow, reading and signing 32 CANDLES at Legacy Books, Thursday, at 7PM. Get more info here, and I hope you can make it out. Cheers!...

I’ve been challenging myself to take on challenges lately. Take for example, today’s signing at the NAACP convention Author’s Pavilion. I knew that as a new author with a hardcover, I wouldn’t be seeing much action at my signing booth. But I challenged myself to stay off of my iPhone, stand up, and be present for those that passed by my booth. And what a great decision, I ended up passing out a bunch of postcards, networking and laughing with several people, and I even sold a book! I’m feeling like I’m one step closer to taking the DR. WHO Challenge. What is the DR. WHO Challenge you ask? Well, simply put, if Dr. Who invited you to go along with him in his space machine, would you go? To a certain extent, I don’t think this is a fair question to ask myself. I have a husband and a child, I couldn’t risk my life for adventure. But if those elements weren’t in play, I would still find it hard to climb aboard the Tardis, just because the possibly dying bit would scare me out of visiting different places and times and exploring different galaxies, no matter how fascinating I find the idea. So I’d like to be a good DR. WHO companion, but the truth is, I’d probably cower in a corner if presented with any real action. Same goes for real life. I find myself shying away from opportunities to meet new people because I’m shy. I never think I’m up to the challenge of mingling with people I don’t know. And as far as handselling my book goes. Well, when I hear that story about E. Lynn Harris selling his first self-published book out of his car trunk, I shudder...

I know you’ve missed me promoting 32 CANDLES 24/7, so I thought I’d give you another big batch of it. 1. Friendly Reminder that we’re trying to hit 50 Amazon reviews by the end of July, so if you’ve read it, please give us the boon of saying something about the book over at good ole Amazon. 2. I’m at the NAACP Convention Author Pavilion in Kansas City, signing books from 12pm-2pm. So if you’re also here, please stop by the table. 3. On Thursday, I’ll be doing a book event in Dallas. Live our know someone who lives in the area? Please spread the word. 4. Did you download 32 CANDLES as an ebook (Kindle, iBooks, nook, or Sony)? If so, please shoot me an email at etc @ 32candles.com. We have an urgent message for you. 5. Do, do, do come back on Wednesday, when I’ll be posting the rough draft first chapter of THE AWESOME GIRL’S GUIDE TO DATING EXTRAORDINARY MEN. Yes, I said rough. This oughta be...

Friendly reminder, I’m in St. Louis reading from and signing 32 CANDLES tonight, so if you’re in the area, please do come...

So this is the last (big) 32 CANDLES ASK. That doesn’t mean that I won’t be asking for a bunch of little favors for the rest of the summer. I’ll definitely pop a 32C request or two into an occasional blogumn or One More Thing or PoT! Friday. Also, I’ll be blogging about 32 CANDLES every Monday and about writing in general every Wednesday. But I’m hitting the road next week, so it’s time to focus on the IRL promotion. Also, though I’ve loved promoting 32 CANDLES, quite frankly it feels a little weird to talk about one thing for so long and for so much. So starting next Tuesday, Fierce and Nerdy and 32 CANDLES is going back to their old format, with the exception of THEN and NOW staying on as a weekly feature. That all explained, let’s get into my last 32 CANDLES ASK: 1. READ THE BOOK. This weekend if you can. By the end of July if this weekend isn’t possible. We need a ton of first readers to help other readers find 32 CANDLES. 2. WORD OF MOUTH. I’m a debut author, submitting a book into a very crowded field. So I’m depending on you guys to help me spread the word. If you get into a conversation with a woman between the ages of 21 and 50, please find a way to tell her about this book. If you have a blog, please review this book on it. If you have a twitter account, please tweet about it. Your word of mouth is what will give 32 CANDLES legs. If you could spare one tweet or Facebook status update to 32 CANDLES every week for the rest of the summer, you would be a big part of...

So many of you have read the book and I thank you mightily for it. If you enjoyed it, could you do me the further favor of telling five friends about the book in person. E-pitches are awesome, but word-of-IRL-mouth is where it’s at. So as you go about your 4th of July weekend, please mention 32 CANDLES at any parties or events that you attend. However while talking up 32, please don’t forget to eat lots of barbecue. I want to sell lots of copies of this book, so that my next book will get published — but c’mon, barbecue always come...

I know this is the last day of work for a lot of you, so I just wanted to push 32 CANDLES extra-extra hard, since we’re going back to our regular schedule next week. People have been calling this a great vacation read from the get-go. That’s one of the reasons 32 CANDLES was released in the summer as opposed to the winter. So really now is the perfect time to pick up your copy. Also, it’s important to keep sales momentum going throughout the summer. But just so you know, I wouldn’t be asking you to read it over and over again if I didn’t truly think you were going to enjoy it. And don’t just take my word for it, here’s what folks have been saying about 32 Candles over at Amazon: There are so many wonderful moments of discovery in this novel, I don’t want to give any of them away if you haven’t read it yet. I’ll just tell you, this is a very unique story. I haven’t read anything like this (and I read a lot) […] This is going in my top 10. –-AmyQOWTF I would definitely recommend this book. It is especially great for a lazy summer day on the beach or in the park. I started reading the book on the airplane during some weekend travel and I didn’t want to put it down. I wasn’t able to finish it over the weekend, so when I left work the next day I literally sat at the first bench I could find and finished the novel before heading home for the day. I just couldn’t wait to see how things turned out for Davie Jones. Any book that draws you in that much certainly deserves 5 stars....

I’ve been getting a few emails from people complaining about neglecting their work and/or not getting any sleep because they couldn’t put the book down. Of course, these messages make my day. But in the interest of making sure you don’t get in trouble at work, might I suggest that you read 32 CANDLES over the upcoming long weekend? That all advised, let’s move on to today’s 32 CANDLES ask. If you’re on Facebook or Twitter please do us the great boon of encouraging your friends and followers to read 32 CANDLES over the July 4th holiday. I’ve included a short message for a twitter and/or facebook update  below to make it easy for you. Pick up 32 CANDLES by my friend, Ernessa T. Carter, for the long weekend. It’s a great vacation read!...

I’ve received some amazing photos of 32 CANDLES merch, but I think you’ll agree that Di Koob’s cross country road trip with the 32 CANDLES tote bag is the best photo retrospective ever. Obviously my favorite is the one where the 32 CANDLES tote enjoys a Yuengling and Philly Cheesesteak. Oh Yuengling, how I miss thee. Check out the photos after the jump, and click on the pics to see them in their full...

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a yearlong diary in three-line poems by Jeff Rogers, day 309 Pretty in Hardback Pink (32 Candles Book Signing) From Writing Pad’s small classes in Silverlake, food and writing and talk, friendships Arose and spread. Ernessa brought cocoon novel already strong but we prodded and coaxed it. Tonight on stage in her hand the hardback butterfly unfolds pink wings to flutter up over the...

Thank you so very, very much to the many who came out for my Barnes & Noble Event at The Grove. I really couldn’t love you guys more for your enthusiastic support, and it was just so nice to have such a great turn out. And for those who couldn’t come, thanks for providing my first joke of the night about the “glamorous excuses” that you get in LA, when people can’t come out to your event. I felt like you were there in spirit. Also, big thanks to my nephew/assistant who when I suggested the possibility of running (after I saw the Barnes & Noble space all set up in the most intimidating way possible with tons of books and several rows of seats) promised to tackle me and tell the Barnes & Noble people where I was if I even tried. The kid is good. As for the reading itself …I highly recommend doing something that just scares the crap out of you every so once in a while. It keeps your heart strong and it’s good for the soul. That’s...

So I did my first book fair appearance at the Leimert Park Book Fair on Saturday. It was wonderful chaos with many lessons learned and awesome people met. Since 32 CANDLES had only been out a week, I didn’t expect to sell any books at my signing. I decided that this would be a great time to work on my not selling any books coping skills, which is a little akin to the first day at a new school, and not having anyone to sit with at lunch. I talked to the non-fiction writer sitting next to me at my signing table, the lovely and warm, Terence Roberts, who was in the Little Rock Nine. Then he left and my editormate, Attica Locke came to sit next to me, and married writers, Steven Barnes and Tananarive Due came to sit at the neighboring table. I ended up having an awesome time, and I even sold like four books, so yay for dipping my toe in the water of book signing. Now I’m about to cannonball into the pool with my first official LA book signing, tonight, at 7pm, at Barnes & Noble-The Grove. A few people have asked me how the night will go. We’ll begin at 7:15 with a reading that will go until 7:30 or so, then we’ll take questions until 8PM, and then I’ll be signing books until whenever. See the invite below and I hope to see you there. And thanks to Jennifer May Nickel for ignoring the security guards glare and taking the above pic of the book event sign at Barnes &...

Mark this date on your calendar: July 5. That’s when things will go back to normal here at Fierce and Nerdy. We’ll bring back your daily Procrastinate on This!, Thought Chuck, and One More Thing, and everything will be back to normal. Til then, whatta week, whatta week! 1. Thanks for all the sweet comments online and off about our new THEN and NOW series. It’s been so inspiring for me to read these stories and I’m glad they’re resonating with you, too. Go HERE to read this week’s batch of awesome THEN and NOW stories, and consider submitting one of your own. 2. I would really, really, really love to see you at either Leimert Park tomorrow (June 26) or at my book signing on Monday. Details for both events can be found HERE. 3. First week sales are super-important, so if you haven’t picked up your copy of 32 CANDLES yet, please do so HERE. 4. Want a 32 CANDLES T-shirt?  Read the book and review it on your blog before July 4th and we’ll send you one! 5. Already read the book? Please consider leaving a review at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or GoodReads. 100% Love,...

Hello Darlins, I am loving all the shelf elf stories that I’ve been getting on Facebook. So please keep on shelf elfing and if you can take either a shelf elf pic or a pic of yourself with the book, as the lovely “other Ernessa” Sapper is in the picture to the left, that would be even more awesome. You probably thought that pic request was Today’s 32 Candles Ask — but it’s not. Oh no, today’s request has to do with you coming out to see me, specifically at one of two events that I’ll be at this weekend. First up: The Leimert Park Book Fair on Saturday, June 26. I’m moderating the 12:30pm panel on black love complete with a tribute to E. Lynn Harris. AND I’m doing a small book signing. Sooo if you can’t make it to my first book event on Monday, do stop by. More info can be found HERE. Second up: My first official book event is happening next Monday (June 28) at the Grove’s Barnes & Noble, so please, please, please come out for that. I’ll be reading from and signing the book, and perhaps most importantly, we’ll be gathering for drinks afterward at the nearby Whisper Lounge. You don’t have to RSVP, but it would be nice to get an approximation of how many people are coming, so if you’re so inclined please click on the invite below to let us know if you’re coming. 100% Best...

Okay, I’m still reeling from all the people who supported 32 CANDLES yesterday on Facebook, Twitter, and through email blasts. I seriously can’t thank you enough, and I just want to hug all of you right now. That all squealed, has anyone else ever heard the term “shelf elf?” Author Carleen Brice introduced it to me after she was kind enough to shelf elf 32 CANDLES for us as pictured. She used shelf elf as a noun, but I kind of like it more as a verb. As in, “I’m taking my two nephews to shelf elf around the city after lunch.” This simply means that we’re going to a few bookstores to make sure that 32 CANDLES is facing out as opposed to turned sideways, so that it may catch the casual browser’s eye much more easily. Anywho, you’ve probably already figured out that Today’s 32 CANDLES ask is a shelf elf request. If you’re in a bookstore for any reason, please find 32 CANDLES and if it’s not already facing forward, then do us the favor of turning it around, so that customers can really see it. Thanks so much in advance,...

As someone who never did manage to come up with a good one-sentence pitch for her novel, I found agent Rachelle Gardner’s advice on one-sentence pitches fascinating. She advises using specific, non-confusing language and not sounding like a downer. For example if I were pitching THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, I might say A guy learns many lessons while aging backwards in Louisiana before disappearing into the ether. But I SHOULD say something like Benjamin Button is born under mysterious circumstance in New Orleans, and learns many lessons about life, death, and love, while aging backward from an old man to a newborn baby. Hmm, well, that’s still confusing, and maybe not specific enough, but like I said, I’m not particularly good at the one-sentence elevator pitch. I’ve gotten 32 CANDLES down to small paragraph, so I’ll take that. But this all got me wondering what our actual lives might sound like as a one-sentence pitch. Mine might go… Ernessa T. Carter grows up bored in St. Louis, goes on many exciting adventures all over the world, only to settle down in California and write a novel about something else entirely. If I was allowed more than one sentence, I would definitely put in a “Go figure.” But I’m not, so, I guess I’ll leave it at that. I want to hear about your lives though, in one-sentence, and I’m excited to see what you come up with. Meanwhile, let’s congratulate the winner of our last online totebag giveaway… EVERYONE. We only got three comments and it was our last online tote bag giveaway, so I decided the more tote bags the merrier. You can see all the comments on the the “What Book Has Changed Your Life?” post...

First up, rolla the drums, please! Our final 32 CANDLES online T-shirt winner is … [ridiculously long American Idol pause] … [now a Project Runway pause] … [Top Chef Masters you are the worse of them all further pause] … ANGELA VISCA!!! Angela, not only are you getting a 32 CANDLES T-shirt, but we’re also sending you a tote bag, b/c you won on the day of the 32 CANDLES book release. For everyone who either didn’t pre-order or pre-ordered, but didn’t win, there are still three rather easy ways to secure your own 32 CANDLES T-shirt. Read all about them HERE! Meanwhile, a number of sites have been kind enough to come out in early support of 32 CANDLES with Interviews and Early Reviews. So for today’s official 32 CANDLES ASK, I asking you to give them some traffic by visiting and/or commenting on their 32 CANDLES items. Here’s the list after jump! INTERVIEWS: 1. Fabulously-coiffed, fellow St. Louis native, Curly Nikki, helped us get out the word about 32 CANDLES and it’s be-afroed heroine. [CurlyNikki] 2. Cynthia Hawkins from The Nervous Breakdown did a fantastic right of the interview, in which we talked about roller derby, Star Trek, and oh yeah, this one book, 32 CANDLES. [TheNervousBreakdown] 3. Kristin Gray went deep into the text for our interview in the DC Afro American. [Afro.com] 4. Carleen Brice inspired me to say the words “multi-dimensional time machine” in our interview for White Readers Meet Black Authors.” [WRMBA] 5. Karen Haney has an interview with me PLUS she’s giving away 3 copies of 32 CANDLES at her Bookin’ with Bingo site. So definitely go over there if you want to win a copy. [Bingo] 6. I had a total blast talking to Danielle Kwateng...

I tried to resist putting exclamation marks in that subject line, but alas, it proved impossible. I managed to sleep three whole hours last night and the only thing I’m running on right now are exclamation points and this large cup of Starbucks Instant Coffee (which I would argue is better than their in-store drip — but that’s another blogumn for another day), so you’ll have to forgive me. A few notes about 32 CANDLES: 1. Thank you all so much for all your love and support. A few of you just got here, I know, but so many of you accompanied me on the journey from unpublished to published author and I know that I wouldn’t have made it here without you. 2. For those of you who have sent me kind notes about receiving your copies. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for pre-ordering. If you could do me the further favor of leaving a review on either (or all of ) my Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or GoodReads pages when you’ve finished the book, I would be extremely grateful. 3. For those of you who haven’t purchased the book yet, please do me the favor of doing so by this Friday. That’s when the NYT tabulates their bestseller list. 4. Please let any networks that you’re affiliated with (sororities, alumnae groups, book clubs, church groups, et al) know about 32 CANDLES. I’ve attached a letter for you after the jump to make your email blast easy. 5. If you have a friend who might enjoy 32 CANDLES, please buy her or him a copy. People love unexpected gifts! Again, thank you so much for all you’ve already done. You’ve made my dreams come true, and I could not be any more...

Dearest Readers, First of all congratulations to Monday’s T-shirt winner, Rosemary Tran Williamson. We’ll be pick our final pre-order T-shirt winner tomorrow, and the prize will be extra sweet, b/c I’ll be throwing in a 32 CANDLES tote bag, just because that’s the day 32 CANDLES actually comes out. Thanks in advance to everyone who pre-ordered the book. You’ve helped us tremendously with our first week sales. Speaking of good first week sales, we’re running a two-week-long series called “TODAY’S 32 CANDLES ASK.” Basically we ask you to do one thing to support 32 CANDLES the next day, and you can either choose to do it or not to do it. But if you do it, we’ll be all kinds of grateful. So that all explained, let’s get into today’s ask: On Tuesday, June 22, please change your profile pic to the 32 CANDLES book cover. You can save the image in this post, which is small enough to be uploaded to Facebook. After you upload, please either caption or enter a comment with the following Amazon order info: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061957844?tag=fierandnerd-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0061957844&adid=1MQPW0TS5Y25QG258TNQ& That’s it. Please keep the 32 CANDLES cover as your profile for the entire day, and feel free to take it down on Wednesday. Thanks so much in advance! 100% Grateful,...

Oh noes, we’re down to the last book of my promise to read a book a week before my own book 32 CANDLES comes out (tomorrow). It’s been such a delight, and I’ve already decided to keep the Dear Thursday review as an occasional blogumn for the rest of the year. There are quite a few books on my to-read shelf that I want to give you thoughts on, so I’ll definitely be reporting back on those. Meanwhile, I figured that I should end my 6-month reading series with 32 CANDLES since I did read it (yet again) this year. Also, it comes out tomorrow, so … without further ado, my thoughts on this book I rarely talk about, 32 CANDLES by Ernessa T. Carter. Why I Decided To (Re)Read It: This was my last read-through before publication, so I read it out loud, agreed to certain copy edit changes and tried to look at it with new eyes — which was rather hard, since this was the third time I was reading it since selling it to Harper Collins. Also, I have a stated policy against re-reading or re-watching anything, so I found this final really difficult. What It’s About: It’s about Davie Jones, a girl growing up mute, poverty-stricken, and deeply unpopular in Mississippi. Despite that, she decides to pursue a Molly Ringwald Ending (an against-all-odds happy ending) after seeing the movie, SIXTEEN CANDLES. Much drama ensues. What Makes It Different: Basically there was a character I wasn’t seeing in literature: the black woman with Anne-of-Green-Gables spunk. So I wrote her out of a desire to know her. Also after reading one too many chicklit novels, populated by gorgeous and successful heroines, I wanted to write a late bloomer who was awkward...

If you happen to be in a bookstore, please ask if it carries or plans to carry 32 CANDLES.  Even if you’ve pre-ordered or already have a copy, just asking about 32 is such a boon, because the more requests booksellers get, the more likely they are to stock it. On other notes, there’s less than a week left until 32 CANDLES gets its official release. It makes me feel queasy just thinking about it, and the only reason I’m sleeping at night is because I’ve taken Amy Robinson’s (“Tall Drink of Nerd”) advice and started meditating. Also the whole 11-month-baby thing is a huge distraction, so thank the Lord for that, b/c I would completely freaking if I didn’t have mommy duties to keep my racing brain engaged. Read the rest of this article and find out what our last Tote Book Comment Challenge questions is at 32Candles.com! ~Photo Credit:...

Earlier in the year when I lamenting about my ongoing trouble with getting into the habit of flossing to WENCH author Dolen Perkins-Valdez (b/c that’s what awkward writers like me choose to talk about with brilliant writers like her), she gave me the following advice: “Just floss in the morning.” Just floss in the morning. Those of you who have been following my blogging exploits, since I first started know that I have been attempting a flossing habit since 2005. 2005!!!! And those five words changed my life. I’ve been flossing every day for months now, and when it comes time to review my 2010 New Year’s Resolutions, that one will definitely get ticked off for the first time in my life. How cool is that? Anywho this all got me to wondering about the best non-writing advice you’ve received from authors. Sound off in the comments. Oh, and if you see Monique Daviau, give her a pat on the back. She’s today’s 32 CANDLES T-shirt...

Hey Darlings! First of all, congrats to today’s 32 CANDLES T-shirt winner, Mary Schrader! Second of all, we’re only giving away six more T-shirts, so I wanted to let you know a few ways to get a 32 CANDLES T-shirt of your own. 1. Pre-Order 32 Candles, let me know that you did, and we’ll put you in the pre-order pool to win. 2. Review 32 Candles on your blog before JULY 4, 2010. 3. Come to one of the 32 CANDLES book events. We’ll be giving away FIVE T-shirts at every book event. 4. Submit a THEN and NOW. Not only do we give a donation to FFAWN for every person that submits, but we’re also giving away 20 T-shirts to the first 20 people who submit their THEN and NOW story HERE! How easy is that? And friendly reminder to all 32 CANDLES T-shirt winners to please send me pics of you in the 32 Candles T-shirt before JUNE 22 (that’s next Tuesday!). Meanwhile check out Amy from “Tall Drink of Nerd” rocking hers in Tongva Sacred Springs. Love the braids,...

Before we go, I just wanted to congratulate last week’s tote bag winner, evi. It was another round of fantastic comments, but I had to choose evi, b/c hers involved a dramatic birth complete with airlift and one of the cities I’ve always wanted to give a go, Portland. Check her comment out after the jump: we were living in rural northern arizona when my daughter was born with a condition which required immediate surgery. four hours after giving birth – after a 36 hour labor! – my baby and i were air-lifted to phoenix. her first year involved two more air-lifts and five local hospital stays. for each stay in phoenix, my poor husband had to close up the house, put the pets in a kennel, and drive across the desert for three hours to meet up with us. basically, it was a total nightmare. after the 2nd surgery, i told my husband i didn’t want to live in that po-dunk town ANY more.  my husband works for the government, so i assumed that the process of moving offices would be long and cumbersome, but the people at the cascades volcano observatory in vancouver, wa, knew him and wanted him in their office. they mentioned a possible position for him in november, and we came to portland oregon in january to find a house.  we love it here, and my daughter has never been sick again. Glad to hear that your daughter is thriving,...

Okay, this is why you want to both pre-order 32 CANDLES and take part in our Wednesday Comment Challenge. Last week’s tote bag winner, Jill Moyer, has now also won a t-shirt. How about that? So make sure to come back tomorrow for a very special edition of our Tote Bag Challenge blogumn. Also, if you’re near a newsstand, pick up the July edition of Essence. Not only is the cover orange (my absolute favorite color in the entire world), but there’s also a really lovely write-up on 32 CANDLES, which is the Essence Book Club Pick of the Month. I can’t even begin to explain to you how excited I am about this feature, but I can direct you to the blogumn I wrote when I first found out about the honor. Click here for the typed equivalent of me screaming like a little girl....

If not, you should definitely get on that, because not only will you have something to read on the beach, but you just might win a 32 CANDLES t-shirt, like Nina Feldman. She pre-ordered, let me know that she did, and now she has a sweet 32 CANDLES t-shirt coming her way, b/c that’s how we do. BTW, if you’ve won a t-shirt, please take a picture of yourself and send it to me via Facebook or at etc@32candles.com. June 22nd will be her before you know it, and we need your pics for the 32 CANDLES art project we’re planning to debut on that day. Super-Duper Best,...

Because Sebrina just won today’s 32 CANDLES T-shirt, and she totally lives in Beijing. Hopefully she’ll take a pic in it in front of something cool. Yay! Also, it occurred to me that many of you might have the same problems finding time to physically read that I do. So just in case, you need to listen to 32 CANDLES rather than physically read it, click on the pic to order the audiobook from Books on Tape. I’ve met and worked with Adenrele Ojo, the actress that narrated the BoT, and she’s tremendously talented, so I can practically guarantee that the read will be...

I’ve talked a lot about what Davie and I have in common over the last few weeks, but today I want to talk about something we absolutely don’t have in common — and that is moving. As far as I know, Davie has only moved twice in her entire life. I’ve moved seventeen times — and that’s not counting moving rooms in college or any moves that lasted under three months. And now I’m thinking about moving again. We moved to Altadena from Silver Lake a year ago, in a panic about living in the right area of town to raise a family. Altadena seemed like a good fit. There’s a large black population here, Pasadena is less than ten minutes away. You get good house for the money. When our future landlord told us that he was planning to put our house on the market in a year or two, we were pretty sure we were going to buy. Only… … Altadena might look perfect for us on paper, but IRL, not so much. We dislike not being able to walk to anything more than our local Ralph’s (which is desperately in need of a remodel). I do like having a post office nearby, but am annoyed that I have to wait in line every time to send packages as opposed to just using a machine to weigh my packages and get the proper amount of postage like at my old post office. Also, getting to the highway takes over ten minutes, which wouldn’t be so bad, if most of my friends didn’t live about 30 highway minutes away. We made a list of the things we wanted in our next home, which included, good school districts, four bedrooms, within walking distance of...

Perhaps you’re the kind of person who loves to get updates about 32 CANDLES, but doesn’t necessarily love to navigate Fierce or Nerdy or the official 32 CANDLES blog to do so. Well then, check out the weekly newsletter button on the right sidebar. If you sign up for our newsletter, you’ll get all the book, event, and giveaway info you need for 32 CANDLES right to your inbox. And there will also be a little something extra in each newsletter that you can’t get on the blog, so do sign up. ***************** Congrats to Mildred Taylor and Donna King-Butler, yesterday’s and today’s T-shirt winner! Remember if you want a T-shirt, all you have to do is pre-order the book, let me know that you did it, and we’ll get you entered to win! ****************** Want a 32 CANDLES tote bag? Tell us how you watch TV here. ****************** Friendly reminder, if you’ve won a t-shirt or tote bag, when you have a moment, please take a picture of yourself with the items, and send it to us by either posting it on our Facebook page or emailing it to etc at 32candles dot com. ******************* As of this writing, 501 people have “Liked” 32 CANDLES on Facebook. An extra-big THANK YOU to all of those who took the time to “Like” the page. Going into our publication day with 500+ Facebook Fans is going to be huge and will definitely help drive sales. So again, thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your help with...

They say that opposites attract, and at one point my main characters Davie Jones and James Farrell get in an argument over their very different television viewing habits. Davie doesn’t own a TV set, she either watches her favorite shows on her computer or on DVD. James however has a flatscreen in his room, in all of his guest rooms, and even in a few of the bathrooms. My own TV viewing habits are a mix between the two. I used to watch my favorite shows exclusively on my computer — and this was before the days of broadcast channels streaming their shows online, so I ended up watching series, either after they were completely over (ANGEL, FARSCAPE, SIX FEET UNDER) or a season behind (VERONICA MARS, GREY’S ANATOMY, THE WIRE). This made life a bit difficult. I pretty much had to stop reading Entertainment Weekly or any online entertainment sites, and I couldn’t talk about current television shows at parties — which is hard every place else, but renders you somewhat ridiculous in LA. On the other hand, it left me with a lot of time to read, and I only watched the shows that I truly loved. However, after I met my husband, I happily welcomed the TV set back into my life, and now we have a television in our livingroom and a television set in our basement for guests, workouts, videogames, and whatnot. I watch THE PRICE IS RIGHT in the morning with a bowl of cereal and occasionally, I’ll watch DAYS OF OUR LIVES with my MIL before I go downstairs to write. Then I’ll watch JEOPARDY around 7pm, and the rest of my TV watching happens after my husband gets home. This seems like the perfect balance for...

Congrats to today’s T-shirt winner, Mary Kruger (aka Lucy Ballbreaker of retired Derby Doll fame). She pre-ordered 32 CANDLES and now she’s going to be rocking a 32 CANDLES T-shirt this summer. Want one of your own? Just pre-order the book and let me know that you did, you’ll be entered to win. Speaking of which, if you have already won or received a 32 CANDLES T-shirt, please take a picture of yourself in it and either post it on the 32 CANDLES Facebook page or send it to me directly [etc at 32 candles dot com]. We’re working on a little art project for the week of the premiere and we want you to be part of it! Meanwhile check out my bestie, Monique from “Political Physics.” rocking her T-shirt with her dredhawk. And click on the pic to pre-order the...

So as you might have noticed by looking at our current mood pic, there are now only 32 Days left until the official release of 32 CANDLES. I’ve got a butterfly pavillion installation going up in in my stomach and it will probably stay there until the end of summer. But I’m also so excited, I can hardly sleep. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, releasing a book is remarkably having a baby. You both fear and anticipate the due date. Anywho, let me congratulate Valerie Cheek, the winner of today’s T-shirt. Do you want a T-shirt, too? Just pre-order the book anywhere, let me know that you did, and we’ll get you entered to win. It’s that simple! That all promoted, here are my thoughts for the week. 1. On Gudrun’s recommendation, I’m listening to Gogol Bordello as we speak. They are indeed awesome. However, I don’t think I would be in good enough shape to participate in a concert, though I recognize that just going to one would be fantastic cardio. 2. I’ve been craving Johnny Cakes all week, thanks to Roya. Might have to go pick up some cornmeal at the grocery store today. 3. But maybe I could go to one of Richard Simmons’ LA based aerobics classes to work the Johnny cakes off… 4. Hey, friendly reminder. If you want to get entered to win a 32 CANDLES tote bag, all you have to do is answer the weekly  Wednesday Comment Question. This week’s is, “If you had to wear the same thing for the next six weeks, what would it be?“ 5. While I’m picking up super fancy cornmeal for Johnny cakes at Whole Foods, I’m also going to pick up some Calendula, which Elise...

So in a bid to get better at IRL self-promotion, I determined to wear a 32 CANDLES T-shirt until the book comes out on June 22, 2010. At first, I thought it was a great way to get into the IRL self-promotion groove, which let’s face it, I’m not nearly as comfortable with as the online self-promotion groove. Also, Davie Jones, 32 CANDLES’s main character, wears the same thing almost every single, therefore it felt appropriate to do the same in her honor. So what’s it like wearing the same shirt every day. Well, in a word … challenging. I’ll go over the bad stuff first: I usually dress according to mood, and there have definitely been days that I wasn’t in the mood to wear a bright pink T-shirt, advertising my book. And then there were days when it was just embarrassing to stick to this commitment. For example, I met with fellow Smithie alum and writer, Jessica Brody, last Friday, and while I usually would have worn a cute top with my cute jeans, I was forced to wear my 32 CANDLES T-shirt, which would be cool if I were like a swaggeriffic entertainer as opposed to a somewhat humble author. But as it was, I fell all over myself explaining that this was part of a six-week challenge. Then I re-explained later that same day when I had lunch with an old co-worker … then just this past Monday I felt compelled to explain the situation yet again to the old grad-school mate that I met for lunch while vacationing in San Diego. So as opposed to self-promoting, I’ve been making a lot of excuses for wearing my own swag everywhere I go. Also, since I’m rotating between five t-shirts, I’ve...

First things first: Congrats to Sara Towber, who not only became a new mother this weekend, but also won Friday’s 32 Candles T-shirt. I’m sure she’s way more excited about the latter. But the main point is that she pre-ordered the book, let me know about it, and got entered to win one of the 32 Candles T-shirts that we’re giving away every day until June 22nd. And you can, too! Just pre-order the book and let me know, so that I can add you to the list. Second things second, after weeks of hard work the 32 Candles trailer is ready for public consumption. Thanks so much to CH for directing, Art Freed from Hot Pixel for editing, Ashley-Nicole Sherman and Demetrius Grosse for starring, Teri Vore for choreographing, James Jones for art direction, and Kalimba Bennett for narrating. Let us know what you think in the...

Hey Guys, Don’t have a lot of time to talk, as we’re going into final cut production of the 32 CANDLES trailer this morning. But I wanted to take a second to congratulate Katrina Gamble, our first 32 CANDLES T-shirt winner. She pre-ordered three books (one for herself, one for her mom, and one for someone else), which gave her three entries in our first T-shirt drawing. Now she’s won a free T-shirt. Couldn’t have been easier. Have you pre-ordered the book? Let me know in the comments, on Facebook, or by regular ole email (etc at 32candles dot com), and you’ll be entered to win one of the T-shirts we’re giving away EVERY WEEKDAY until the book comes out. Thanks!...

People ask me all the time if 32 CANDLES is based on my life. The short answer is no. My mom wasn’t abusive, and other than being dark-skinned, Davie and I have very little in common. Though, like Davie, I did learn a few lessons courtesy of my main bully. Soooo many people made fun of me all the way until I went into college, but funnily enough, I only remember the name of my first one, who I’ll just call Bully Zero. Bully Zero wasn’t a physical bully. She never hit me, but she was an emotional bully. She often said mean things to me in front of the rest of the class, then would turn around and be my friend when no one was looking. I worried myself silly, trying to figure out how to make her stop teasing me in public and how to make her my friend all the time, as opposed to when she just wanted a piece of my candy bar or didn’t have anyone else to talk to. Also, she had everything I lacked: huge popularity, huge personality, and huge good looks — even her mom was prettier and more popular than my mom. It was like that. For a long time after I switched schools, I held Bully Zero up as my bogeyman. From the age of like 12, I had visions of becoming a successful writer and then rubbing it in her face somehow. But sometime in my early twenties, during my most starving of starving artist days, it occurred to me: we were just kids. I didn’t forgive her — it wasn’t even a situation that demanded forgiveness, because we were children. I just let it go. Actually I’m a little grateful for Bully...

A lot of 32 CANDLES is about reconciling the kid you were with the adult you’ve become. And it occurred to me the other day that other than my chronic case of foot-in-mouth disease, most of the things that I hated about myself as a kid are now the things that I love the most. When I was a child all I wanted was to have super-straight and long hair, a better personality (my general strangeness was like friend repellant), and most of all, skin that wasn’t dark. Light-skin would have been best, but I would have settled for brown, or even just not being the darkest girl in my elementary school classroom. Well, I ended up getting a perm, only to cut it out and go natural at the age of 17. As it turned out, relaxers were expensive and a lot of work, and I didn’t have time, money or energy like that. So, I went with the much-easier natural, and eventually moved on to dreadlocks at the age of 21. Funnily enough, my locks got so long, that they became a lot of work, too (hard to clean, hard to style, hard to manage unless I pulled them back and out of the way). So I cut those off, too, and now I’m once again rocking a natural — ie a wonderful style that I could have easily maintained when I was a kid and just hated my kinky hair. As for my personality problems, those were solved, too. When I was a kid I went through several phases of trying to reshape myself into someone that other kids would like. I tried dressing like people I saw on TV, catering to the popular kids, and lying to fit in or stand...

Okay, first of all, thanks so much for your excited response to these pictures of the 32 Candles tote bag over the weekend. Want one? There are three ways you can get a 32 tote if you’re not already on the official list of Awesome People Who Have Done Awesome Things To Get The Word Out About 32 Candles (APWHDATTGTWO32C): Send a Facebook or email message to at least 20 of your friends asking them to “Like” the 32 Candles Facebook Page. Make sure to let me know that you did it, and we’ll enter your name into our contest pool. We’ll be picking TWO names every week for the next six weeks, so you’ll have 12 chances to get a bag of your own. Get your book club to read 32 CANDLES this summer (June, July, August, September). If your book club has 10 or more members and puts 32 CANDLES on your roster for any of these months, then send me an email at etc at 32candles dot com, and we’ll send you a tote bag of appreciation. One tote bag per book club, so make sure you’re the first member to nominate 32 CANDLES. Win a comments contest. Every Wednesday, I will ask you a question about your life in my weekly writing blogumn. Leave a comment with your answer, and the best answer (as judged by me) wins a tote bag. You’ll have 6 chances to win with this one. Notes: Only one tote bag per person, which means if you win a tote bag or are given one for being one of the APWHDATTGTWO32C, then you can’t win a second tote bag. But other than that, I invite you to try to win a tote bag in any or...

It’s weird, because a lot of 32 CANDLES is about reconciling what you wanted as a teenager with what you get as an adult. Well, I can still remember reading excerpts and features on books in Essence as a teenager, and hoping that one day one of my books would make it into my favorite magazine. Well, Essence remains my favorite magazine. Where else can you find ideas for both natural and relaxed hair, fashion tips for all body types, and features on black women, praised for being everything from glamorous babes to savvy nerds? Still, I’m pretty sure it was the teenage me that screamed and acted a fool when my editor, Dawn Davis, told me that 32 CANDLES would be featured as Essence Book Club’s Book of the Month for their July Issue, which will hit newsstands in mid-June. My father is still fond of telling me that “If you can dream it, you can make it come true.” Sometimes it feels like I’ve been fighting him on this proclamation all of my life. But the older I get, the more I believe. And I just might tell my daughter the same. . Friendly Reminder: Please Become a Fan of 32 CANDLES on Facebook...

While doing research for this post, I found this old post, which I published on Fierce and Nerdy in December 2008 about two months before I got my agent, three months before Molly Ringwald’s lawyers told me I couldn’t use my original title (Molly Ringwald Ending), and five months before I got my book deal with HarperCollins. And I thought you guys might find it of some use: So the other day The Anonymous Smithie from My, You Really Have Put On Weight hepped her readers to this fantastic New Yorker piece written by Malcolm Gladwell, which I think every artists should read yesterday. It’s framed by the story of Ben Fountain, a lawyer, who leaves his job to write full-time and finds literary success with a well-reviewed book of stories set in Haiti … over 18 years after he quit. The article then goes on to talk about the many, many artists who have found success later in life: Yes, there was Orson Welles, peaking as a director at twenty-five. But then there was Alfred Hitchcock, who made “Dial M for Murder,” “Rear Window,” “To Catch a Thief,” “The Trouble with Harry,” “Vertigo,” “North by Northwest,” and “Psycho”—one of the greatest runs by a director in history—between his fifty-fourth and sixty-first birthdays. Mark Twain published “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” at forty-nine. Daniel Defoe wrote “Robinson Crusoe” at fifty-eight. The thing is these aren’t just flash in the pan examples. For every wunderkind like Jonathan Safran Foer, there is a Ben Fountain. Art, contrary to popular belief, does not belong to the young. Let me say that again, because if you like me, sometimes get down about having not “made it” by now and feel yourself looking into a bleak future in which you might...

Something you might not know about me is that I hate asking for favors. I imagine that if I could see and read the minds of all of my IRL friends right now, they would be wrinkling their foreheads and thinking, “Wait, Ernessa just asked my ass for a favor the other day. All she does is ask me for favors.” And that’s the weird thing: I hate to ask for favors. Asking for favors makes me incredibly anxious, and it often takes me anywhere from days to weeks to do so. Yet, I have always been someone who has depended on the kindness of family, friends and strangers to get by. You know how they always talk about black women being too independent and further more, the mules of America? When I hear stuff like that, I just shake my head in confusion. The truth is that I have never, ever been able to take care of myself. Believe me, I’ve tried, but for whatever reason, I’m just one of those people that needs a lot of nurturing, otherwise I don’t eat, sleep, or function-at-optimum-speed. This used to embarrass me, especially when my girlfriends would in various ways point it out while I was sleeping on their couch, receiving my third lesson in how to cook pasta (because I didn’t remember the first two from other girlfriends), or getting help with my rent for the umpteenth time. Most of them would just quietly help me stay alive, but every so once in a while someone would question my complete lack of self-suffiency outside of writing. I used to make excuses or pretend that this was just a one-off situation, but now that I’m in my 30s, I’ve grown to accept that I’m just...

So I got a copy of my galleys today and … well, let’s just say it really feels real now. And it’s funny, b/c I’m at the same point in the rough draft of my second women’s fiction novel, the point where all the really delicious plot points kick in, when people connect and fall apart, and start transforming into who they’re going to be at the end of the novel. When the really starts to feel real. Technically this is the best part, because this is the part when stuff really starts HAPPENING. However, it’s also the part of the novel that I’m most scared of. So much of writing is hard work, that it’s a little weird when you get to sweet spot of it, the part where you just get to sit back and watch your characters fight and love and do all the stuff you’ve been setting them up to do from the beginning. On another hand, this is the worst part, b/c I become obsessed with the book. Why is this post in so late? Because yesterday I spent the time that I set aside for my Wednesday blogumn in book thrall. Why am I resenting having to get my hair together before an important meeting tomorrow? Because I’d much rather be writing. This is the good part, but life doesn’t pause for the good part. Ah well, what can you do? . Ernessa T. Carter is the author of the novel, 32 CANDLES, which will be released by HarperCollins/Amistad on June 22, 2010. Pre-order your copy on Amazon...

I found the Jezebel response to the fantastic Paul Krugman piece in the New Yorker interesting. Basically Irin Carmon asks if the wives of great male writers should get more credit. Krugman’s wife, Robin Wells, a fellow economist, edits Krugman’s piece and can be credited with making him less dry and more appealing to the layperson. It is not an uncommon situation that male writers from Eugene O’Neill to Stephen King tend to have devoted wives in the background, taking care of their children, making sure they eat, reading their first drafts, and encouraging them every step of the way. But Carmon wonders if female writers can say the same. My response: Wait, there are writer’s whose spouses DON’T support them in these ways? Unless I specifically ask him not to be, my husband, CH, is pretty much my first reader on everything. Back when I first started writing for American Top 40, I would call him to brainstorm whenever I got stuck on a punchline for a joke. CH found the web designer for Fierce and Nerdy and he’s the one that makes sure that it runs smoothly on the technical side. He’s also the one that designed the 32 Candles site, including the recent redesign, now that we have some sense of what the book cover is going to be. He takes care of our daughter when I’m writing on the weekends and when we’re on vacation. If I’m dragging my feet about doing anything that makes me uncomfortable — like asking my agent or editor a question, taking my author photo, or earlier in my novel writing career, just sending out query letters; he pushes me over that road block. And if I’m fretting late at night, he talks me through...

“Sixteen Candles Meets E. Lynn Harris” — that’s what they’re calling my book in-house at HarperCollins, according to Marketing Manager, Bobby Brinson. What a nice compliment! Find out what else he had to say about 32 CANDLES here. Though, it should be noted that my father wasn’t exactly “affluent” when my mother met him. But he was certainly wealthier, more popular and way more handsome than anyone else she had ever dated. Anywho, Mr. Brinson’s comments got me to thinking about how every novel is a Slumdog Millionaire of sorts, with every experience and detail you encounter adding up to a Frankenstein of a book. I’ve said before that the main two influences for this story were my mother and my best friend, but there are also elements of my husband, LA friends, my relatives, and many others. For example, I landed on Davie’s first job after an actress I went to grad school with told me in passing that her main job was at an LA cabaret, the male character of Nicky is inspired by my no-nonsense aunts, and Davie’s car is the same beater that I bought for $600 when I first moved to LA. It’s funny, b/c they always say write what you know, but often it feels like novels leave you little signs and gifts in everyone you meet and in every place you go, so that in the end, you’re  not just writing what you know, but also what you encounter and what you hear about. If you’re a conscious writer, every conversation carries weight, every hurt can be recycled, and every single person you meet is an inspiration. The other day, I was brunching with two other Smithies and I told them that I was working on a...

I promised myself that I would hit the ground running with this self-promotion stuff as soon as I scheduled my first interview or received the cover art for 32 CANDLES, whichever came first. Well, I had my first interview on Monday for the Smith Alumnae Quarterly. Fellow Smithies, look for that profile in the spring edition, and big thanks to writer and Friend of FaN, Aimee Swartz, for making the interview so lovely. Also, I received the first pass of the cover yesterday and I adore it. It’s so fun and man, will it stand out in a bookstore! I’m hoping to be able to debut it soon here. So yes, it’s time to start self-promoting. I won’t say that I dislike self-promoting. My FB friends already know that I drop several nudges a day about checking out the many wonderful posts and items at fierceandnerdy.com. But I’ll admit that I don’t know much about promotion outside of Fierce and Nerdy, so I’ve got a lot of learning to do and I’m hoping my experiences with this (new-to-me) artform will help other aspiring writers, too. Let’s navigate, shall we? First up, a three-part favor: 1. The first part is simple really. I’m working on my calendar for the rest of the year, and I need to know which bookstores you love, so that I can try to hit them up for visits before January 2011. You can either leave a message in the comments, PM me at etc AT 32candles dot com, or Facebook me. However you do it, I’ll be grateful for the info. 2. The second part is even more simple. If you haven’t already, please Become a Fan of 32 CANDLES on FaceBook here. And if you’re already a fan, please...

So I’m almost done with my first-reader pass on my rogue sci-fi novel and I’m about to send it off to a manuscript editor. Really? An editor? you ask. Aren’t manuscript editors for people who can’t write or for people whose novels have so many problems that they need someone to come in and fix it for them? Well, I would argue that even if you’re one of those writers who thinks her novel is perfect after your third draft (which I’m not), that novel can still stand a pass from someone whose job it is to evaluate manuscripts. I don’t ever think any of my stuff is perfect. However, I do have a threshold for tinkering with things. I do my long rough draft, my longer make-it-readable draft, and my short-by-comparison, chapter-a-day first reader draft. Then I pass it on an editor. And having seen a lot of good writers in need of stronger editing, I hope to write novels this way until the day I die. From what I understand a lot of writers wait until they’ve been rejected a bunch before they send their novel into a manuscript editor. But IMO, you might as well do that upfront, that way you know for sure that what you’re sending out is your absolute best effort. +++++ On other notes, you know how a few weeks ago, I was all like, “Meet my new love, THE AWESOME GIRL’S GUIDE TO DATING EXTRAORDINARY MEN?” Well, that was before I actually started the process of writing it and now I’m absolutely terrified of this new novel. I’ve been trying to write the outline since Friday, and every time I sit down to do so, I suddenly become very interested in answering email or commenting on...

Towards the beginning of our relationship, my husband used to say this this thing that infuriated me. I would be all upset over a program and he’d say, “Calm down, these people aren’t real.” He got away with saying this a couple of times before I found the words to argue back. “When I’m writing, I totally feel like my characters are real,” I told him. “In fact, I find it hard to believe that they don’t exist somewhere. Some writer toiled over these characters, and I respect that they were written to be real.” And that kind of thinking is basically why I don’t get writer’s block. I got stuck a few places in 32 CANDLES, and at first I would wait until inspiration struck for the next bit, but when I finally committed to a daily writing practice, I had to write every day and couldn’t wait on my mercurial muse, so I just started asking my main character, “And then what happened, Davie?” After all, it was her story, she should be able to tell me what happened next. Lo and behold, she always answered. “I decided to fill out a college application,” she’d say, Or “I memorized a bunch of standards” or “I talked to him for three days straight, and here’s what he told me…“ Sometimes, she would tell me things after the fact. Like I’d be driving by a movie billboard, and she’d say, “Did you know that billboard inspired me to do that big thing I do towards the end of the story?” And I’d answer, “No, I thought you just decided to do that out of the blue.” And she’d say, “No, it was the poster.” And I’d have to reopen chapter twenty-whatever and rewrite it...

So this week’s current mood picture refers to the fact that I’ve sent my last pass of 32 CANDLES back to the publisher, and am now hankering down with a new women’s fiction novel called the The Awesome Girl’s Guide to Dating Extraordinary Men. As I mentioned last week, I was all sorts of in love with this new novel … but that was before I actually started working on it — or if we want to stretch the romantic metaphor, before I moved in with it. Now, I’m finding out the weird — almost schizophrenic way — that these characters who seemed hot-to-go when I was with another novel, are actually demanding nags. The novel has four main characters, but there’s one that I like particularly and she has been hinting that she wants to be a comedian. Yes, a comedian — even though I have little to no experience with performing comedy — only writing it. I tried offering her many other career options. I was even willing to let her be a writer, though I try to never, ever make my main characters writers — just because the actual act of writing is so boring that I know it’s not really of interest to anyone but other writers. But she stood her ground and insisted that she had to be a comedian, b/c that’s what she was. Okay, so though, I’m a write-at-home mom with limited evening time to do research, I shot off emails to a couple of female comedians I know and asked to shadow them at their next performance. Fine. But that’s all! I tell my characters. But how about the Spanish telenovellas? the guitarist-turned-singer asks. Wait, what Spanish novellas? You’ve got to watch some Spanish telenovellas, b/c...

I found this NYT item about how hard it is to live your hobby dream with an Etsy store interesting, in that the whole article had a tone of being stunned that making a living from crafting was hard. Why, one artist and her husband worked 14 hour days to get all of her orders out. Another knitted liked a mofo from dawn to evening with no relief except to answer customer emails and drop off her Etsy orders. And another woman only makes Wisconsin minimum wage when you do an hours-put-in-to-money-being-made ratio. I was amused by the tone of voice, because it assumed that doing what you love for a living wasn’t almost always super-hard. I’ve had friends and family alike insinuate that since 2006 my jobs have been easy, b/c I get to do what I love (write) for a living. And while it’s true that doing what you love doesn’t feel as much like work as say, digging trenches, let’s not get it twisted. Pursuing your dream is always going to be way harder than a 9 to 5. The main problem is that almost every kind of regular paid writing gig requires more than 40 hours a week from you. For example, television writers don’t get to go home at 5pm everyday no matter what. They get to go home when the script is done, which is why I barely see a few of my friends now that they’re staffed on shows. When I was writing for radio, I found it hard to keep doctor’s appointments or schedule lunches, b/c not only was I working an ever-changing 50-to-60-hour week, but anything could come up at any time that would require more writing from me. I remember being stunned about how...

Writing is like exercise. You know you should be doing it, you feel better after you do it, yet … somehow it often just doesn’t get done. I just realized yesterday after spending three hours reading other authors’ blogs that I might not be doing online marketing research as I had told myself, but indeed procrastinating. And the sad thing is that I’m really, really excited about writing my next new book — right after I finish rewriting Supersonic, the book I was working on when 32 Candles sold. However, 32 Candles sold back in April and I’m still not done with this Supersonic rewrite. Guys, I’m not even halfway done with this rewrite, and I don’t even know if the book will sell, since being sci-fi adventure, it’s way outside my original genre and I’ll probably have to rock a pseudonym so that I don’t turn off my potential women’s fiction audience. Meanwhile, the next book is singing a serious siren song. “Come cheat with me,” it says. “I’m much hotter than Supersonic. People will LURVE me, and I promise that writing me will be super-duper easy, not like that book you’re working on now, which is too different to ever sell anyway. So instead of setting yourself up for disappointment, why don’t you hook up with me, baby?” Mighty tempting. The only thing is that’s EXACTLY what Supersonic said when it was trying to lure me away from  32 Candles, so I’m not sure the next book is telling me the truth. Why do novels always start knocking on your door and calling your incessantly before you’re ready to write them? Anyway, the point is that I’m hoping to finish the Supersonic rewrite over winter break, since Fierce and Nerdy will be on...

. . JUNE 22, 2010!!! . For those of you that know me, IRL, yes, that is the same day as my daughter Betty’s 1st birthday. This is great for three reasons. 1. This makes the release date extra-super-duper-auspicious. 2. I was trying to figure out how to get out of throwing a birthday party for someone who won’t remember it. I’ve been told that this birthday party is for the parents, but since I don’t want to throw it, I don’t see what good having one would be. However, I doubt my friends and relatives would have accepted this logic, so yay! Now I have an excuse. 3. I’ve always wanted to be read on the beach. What-what! Anywho, check out the Amazon pre-order page here. And the Borders pre-order page here. And check out the OFFICIAL 32 CANDLES website here. Also, please do us a mighty boon by becoming a fan of 32 Candles if you’re on Facebook. Meanwhile, I’ll let you know more release details as we get them. 100% Love, etc Photo Credit: Anne...

Guys, I’m SO sorry, but we’re at serious sixes and sevens today, so we’ll once again have limited content. But Monday, we’ll totally (okay somewhat) have it together. I super-promise! That all vowed, here are the best comments and quotes of the week: HELLO FRIDAY re: FIERCE ANTICIPATION: August 21-23, in which guest-blogger Michael Gutenplan tells us about his solo trip to Vegas. CH: I agree that it’s fun to gamble but what makes Vegas great is all the other things “restaurants, Broadway shows, etc.” It’s what separates it from the Indian casino’s. PHILOSOPHICAL MONDAY Quote from a post you should’ve read: “For now, I want to hold summer’s hand a little longer.” – Kelli Bielema, Fierce in Seattle: Summertime and the Living Is … Over? OH, IT’S TUESDAY re: Political Physics: Ain’t I a Woman? The Story of Sojourner Truth and Caster Semenya, in Monique King-Viehland, explained why the gender testing of Caster Semenya is so very offensive. katrina: Every time I read anything about this I get so angry. Monique, thank you for writing this. The violation of her body and her privacy is enough to infuriate me. I also appreciate you drawing attention to how black women, particularly, are often masculinized. Our sexuality and gender are often twisted into some type of stereotype hyper-sexed, under-sexed, mammy, superwoman, manly, etc… Gender and sex are both so ambiguous that any effort to squeeze either into some norm seems ridiculous to me. WOW! IT’S WEDNESDAY re: Wonderfully Awful: Public Service Awesomeness, in which Robin Rosenzweig celebrates the awfulness of PSAs from the 80s and invited you to share your favorite wonderfully awful PSAs. Constance: I still catch myself singing this sometimes: Meth! OOOO, Meth! DEAR THURSDAY Thanks to everyone that commented and Facebooked about...

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. Way short edition of Fierce and Nerdy today, b/c it’s the end of August, and a ton of our bloggers are on vacation, recovering from vacation, moving, gearing up for the Fall, etc, etc. So bear with us, b/c we’ll be right as rain in September. Speaking of Fall, I’ve been thinking of doing something a little new with my hair. Maybe braiding it at the side for a fauxish mohawk and I’ve also been thinking of putting some funky colors in it. I think I might be going through a bit of a hair crisis actually– What’s that you say? You don’t care about my hair? Get to the frickin’ announcement already? Oh well, if you insist — though I had about two more paragraphs worth of hair stuff that I could have discussed. Maybe some other day. Today I’ll just say that Miramax optioned the rights to 32 Candles. Here’s the Publisher’s Marketplace announcement: Ernessa T. Carter’s 32 CANDLES, […] to Miramax Films, in a nice deal, by Steve Fisher at APA on behalf of the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency. And go here to see the “Miramax hot for 32 Candles” announcement that’s running in Variety right now. It should be noted that we’ve asked them to make a correction about the last bit. Of course, “Molly Ringwald Ending” is not the name of this novel or any novel that I intend to write in the future. But other than that, I’m all sorts of thrilled about the deal and keeping my fingers crossed that the big-screen version actually does get made. Oh, and if you’re new to the blog go here for the novel’s back story. Meanwhile, I’ve received suggested...