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Jenny Meyerhoff

Jenny Meyerhoff writes novels for children and teenagers.

Author of Class B.U.R.P., Attack of the Girlzillaz, Green Thumbs-Up!, Pumpkin Spice, Project Peep, Sweet Peas and Honeybees, Starry Skies and Fireflies, A Squirmy, Wormy Surprise, Playin Cupid, Third Grady Baby, Queen of Secrets, Sami's Sleepaway Summer, and The Barftastic Life of Louie Burger.

Coffeeland. It’s a nice place to visit but…

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I’m feeling guilty. See, I am a proud tea drinker. I drink cups and cups of it. Iced in the summer, hot in the spring, fall and winter, and it’s an important part of my writing routine. Snuggling into the corner of the couch with my laptop and a steaming mug of Chamomile ready to lose myself in my story. It’s the perfect afternoon. (Hence the starring role of the steaming mug on the homepage of my website.)

Today, however I wrote at Panera. Panera, home of yummy soup, yummy salads and free wi-fi, is my second favorite place to write. And settling into a booth near an outlet with a steaming paper cup of Honey Ginseng is also quite cozy. But today, when I walked into Panera I saw this.


It’s a pumpkin spice latte. As I am a lover of all things Fall, I couldn’t resist the lure of pumpkin.

Jazzed up on mega-caffeine from the shot of espresso, and completely unused to such stimulation, my hyped-up brain and fingers pounded out close to two thousand words of my novel! I’m suddenly understanding why so many writers out there are coffee drinkers.

As fun as today was, and it was perfect for the exciting climax scene I was working on, I’m still not a coffee gal. There’s no lingering, no dreaminess when writing with coffee. So while I may occasionally sip some Java, I’ll always be a tea girl at heart.

Okay, now you tell me. What’s your beverage of choice?

A technophobe? Me?

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My old printer died. It lived a long life and served me well, and I got a new nicer (because it’s six years newer) printer, but I don’t like it as much as my old printer yet. It doesn’t hold as much paper. I don’t know where all the button thingamajiggies are.

Hmmm…
As much as I hate to admit it, I may have technology issues. Certain husbands-who-live-in-this-house-with-me think new buttons are very exciting, not cause for consternation.

Also, another reason I may have to admit to being technologically delayed is that this week was my very first time using Power Point. Ever. I made half a slide. I am very proud of it. It will someday be the first slide in my “Day in the Life of an Author” school visit presentation which schools are already clamoring for. (As a matter of fact, it’s such a good half-slide, I might not have to add anything further!)

However, I do blog. (Exhibit A is on your screen right now.) And technologically speaking, that’s pretty hip, right? Well, I guess if I was really cool I’d vlog, but we can’t all be Hank and John Green, now can we?

Already my kids do things on the computer I will never be able to do. (Have you tried Line Rider? It’s hard!) I just accept that.
I have fun trying though. (As long as my kids aren’t in the room laughing at me.)

Exciting News! Times Three!

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1. My website is practically, finally done! You can see it now, but at exactly the moment I’m writing this it still needs a tweak or two. By the time you read this those tweaks may be done already. Who knows?

2. I just saw a sketch for the cover of Third Grade Baby! Sorry I can’t show it to you, but let me just tell you, Polly is adorable! FSG chose the perfect artist, and I can’t wait to see the final cover.

3. My kids are back in school!(This is possibly more exciting for me than it is for them.)

Last thought on First Drafts

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You may have noticed, in previous posts, that I’m working on a first draft. And I may have mentioned that I find them to be one of the more challenging parts of being a writer.

But I stand here today (sit here today?) feeling rather chagrined because of this post over at Meg Cabot’s blog. Her words reminded me that writing a first draft should be the most exciting part of writing. The part where the story unfolds before you and your characters come to life. The part where the possibilities and paths in front of you are nearly infinite. (Hyperbole alert!)

So from now on I’m going to approach first drafts from a totally different angle. I’m going to try to be as creative and have as much fun as possible. Maybe I’ll even pretend I’m Meg Cabot. Hmmm… I think I may need a tiara and a boa.

Ever the procrastinator…

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Have you ever wondered what celebrity you look like?

Okay, maybe not. But after today you will!

There’s this kooky celeb-look-alike thing at myheritage.com. You upload a picture of yourself, then My Heritage does a fun sci-fi movie scan of your face and compares it to some number of celeb. photos it has in it’s files and tells you just which famous person you resemble!

It’s kooky and fun. And without further ado, here are my results:

Okay, I’m trying to be a good sport about the men and all. It’s not like they are bad looking or anything, but really?
Really?

Back to School

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I am officially done with copy edits for THIRD GRADE BABY. Now it’s in the hands of those super talented people at FSG who take a manuscript and make it into a book.
They do stuff like choose a font and…ummm…well, i have no idea actually. Book design is a complete mystery to me. The only thing I know for certain is that I am extremely excited to see my book!

I am also excited for Fall!

It is my absolute number one favorite season. Just this past weekend the weather turned brisk, and I had a very strong urge to buy school supplies. Unfortunately, I no longer need school supplies. I do get to buy office supplies, which I enjoy, but it’s not quite the same as the big back to school shopping spree I had back in my elementary days.

Maybe one day I’ll write about a character buying school supplies.

This fall, however, I am going to go back to school. Some wonderful teachers and librarians that I have agreed to let me into their classrooms and libraries to practice my school visit presentations. I am very excited for this opportunity. I’ll be sure to post more as the time draws near!

Hmmmmm…I wonder if there is any such thing as school visit supplies…

More on First Drafts

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So, I’m finally taking a break from my current work-in-progress to post.

Right now, I’m writing a first draft. For me, this is the absolute hardest part of writing a novel. I mean, really, imagine closing your eyes, concentrating really hard and conjuring up a lump of clay with nothing more than your measly 10% brain power. Now you kind of know what writing a first draft feels like.

Whenever I’m writing a first draft, I try to get it out as quickly as possible, otherwise I lose my train of thought. Then I have to go back and reread everything I’ve written before, and as the book gets longer and longer, that takes longer and longer and then Boom! the baby wakes up from his nap and I have to stop writing and I haven’t even written anything yet.

So, if I could, I’d like to take a whole week and write non-stop, maybe at some beautiful writer’s colony or five-star-hotel. The only problem is that I can’t really manage more than 1500 words at a time, even though I want to write more, my 10% is kaput.

Maybe someday I’ll unlock the secret 90%. Maybe then I’ll be able to simply telepathically transport my book into other people’s brains rather than having to write it and get others to buy it. Do you think that would be illegal?

Now, back to work! Because once I get that lump of clay, then I can really dig in and have fun. Get my hands wet and slimy and sculpt and sculpt and sculpt. (Revise, revise, revise!)

But first I have to get there. Which means I need to go hit my 1500.

Bye.

P.S. Sorry, still can’t tell you what it’s about.

What book are you?

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I just read about this fun quiz over at fuse #8. Of course, I can never resist finding out deep dark truths about myself from a series of random impersonal questions. So I took it.

The idea is that there is a book out there that best represents who you are. And low and behold, for me, that book is possibly my favorite book of all time: Anne of Green Gables.

I am so excited to BE Anne of Green Gables. I alway knew she and I were kindred spirits. Here are my results:

You’re Anne of Green Gables!

by L.M. Montgomery

Bright, chipper, vivid, but with the emotional fortitude of cottage
cheese, you make quite an impression on everyone you meet. You’re impulsive, rash,
honest, and probably don’t have a great relationship with your parents. People hurt
your feelings constantly, but your brazen honestly doesn’t exactly treat others with
kid gloves. Ultimately, though, you win the hearts and minds of everyone that matters.
You spell your name with an E and you want everyone to know about it.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

How did they know?

If you take the quiz, please tell me what book you are. (I’m really curious to know how many possible books are in the quiz in the first place.)

p.s. oops, i just reread the instructions. there are only 64 possible outcomes.

A Must re-Read!

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So, I’m re-reading The Catcher in the Rye right now. I read it back in high school, but somehow managed to retain nothing except the vague notion that I liked it. Now, reading it for the second time as a writer, I am blown away!

Okay, so we all know that the voice in that book is phenomenal. Distinctive, full of energy, engaging. What we all aspire for. But I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the best part of the book (writing-wise) isn’t the voice.

What?

Yes, that’s right. The best part of the book, is that Salinger tells absolutely nothing! He SHOWS everything, and until I started rereading this book, I didn’t realize how much telling goes on even in books that are really well written and by writers who are making a conscious effort not to tell. (Uh, I guess that second part would be me.)

Does Holden say he’s lonely? No, he asks stranger after stranger to have a drink with him. Does he say that he’s in love with Jane? No, he punches out his roommate after the guy goes on a date with her. Did I tell you that he shows? No, I gave you examples. (Except for in the paragraph before this where I did tell you, but please just ignore that for the sake of argument, okay?)

Have any of you read this book recently? I must have someone to gush with.