Day 5: Party On, Court!

You absolutely CAN and SHOULD have your cake and eat it too!

On October 21, 2007 – exactly a year before My So-Called Family was set to be published, my mother invited me and a couple friends of my over for dinner. After we finished our burgers, my mom brought out a cake that said “Happy Book” across the top in bright red letters. As my fellow Class of 2k8 member, Sarah Prineas, observed, the book was -1 years old. It seemed like an important milestone to me; and really, who am I to turn down an excuse for chocolate cake?

My second book, Positively, comes out on September 8, 2009, and on September 8th of this year (the -1st birthday of Positively), I was in Lancaster, PA visiting family. Not to be outdone by my mother, my stepsister bought a cake that said “Positively Successful” in bright orange icing. She even stuck candles in it, and took pictures as her kids and I leaned forward to blow them out. The cake was delicious, and the kids were extremely generous, letting me eat most of the flowers made out of orange icing.

My book party for the official release of My So-Called Family is coming up fast – actually, by the time this blog is posted, it will already have happened. I have been planning this for so long, celebrating negative book birthdays, and not quite believing that this thing I wrote is going to be a real-live book. Almost all of the people closest to me are coming to my party – my family, my friends, my favorite teacher from college, the kids I used to babysit (and their parents too), my dentist, and even a couple members of the Class of 2k8 who live in the New York area. It’s going to be at the art gallery of a family friend; there won’t be cake, because I’m afraid of getting icing on the paintings. But there will be wine and cheese and tons of pictures.

We wish we could all be there! Thank you for spending the week with us, Courtney. Best of luck to you and MY SO-CALLED FAMILY. We look forward to reading your upcoming titles, POSITIVELY and SINCERELY, SOPHIE/SINCERELY! And now, we'd like to unveil the trailer for MY SO-CALLED FAMILY.

Day 4: Courtney's Clique

Courtney feels blessed to have a lot of support, but her BFFs have been her greatest strength.

The acknowledgments section at the front of my book is pretty long – two pages packed full of people who supported me all through the years, and not just when I was writing. But there are four people in particular who mattered a lot during the writing of My So-Called Family: my friends Lindsay, Amy, Jackie and Llen.

Lindsay, Amy and I met during law school; Jackie and I met when we were studying for the bar; and I have known Llen for so long that I barely remember life without her. (Actually, Llen and I overcame incredible odds to become friends; I didn’t invite her to my Halloween party in the fourth grade, but she showed up anyway. The rest is history.)

I had been tossing the idea for My So-Called Family around in my head – I didn’t really know anything about it, other than who the narrator would be. I decided her name would be Leah, and I sat down and wrote a first chapter. Then, not really knowing what to do with it, I forwarded it to four of my friends. I told them they didn’t really have to read it, but in case they were bored and looking for something to do, there it was.

Within a couple of hours, I had heard back from all of them – Lindsay, Amy, Jackie and Llen said they loved it and wanted to see more. To this day, I’m not sure I would have really continued with the story if I didn’t have them rooting me on. They read the whole book, chapter by chapter, as I wrote it. If I took too long between chapters, I would get emails asking for more, pushing me forward.

My So-Called Family is dedicated to my parents – and I think they deserve the honor. But I gratefully acknowledge my wonderful friends for their love, support, and incredible cheer.

Tomorrow is our last day with Courtney, but before she goes buh-bye she shares some celebratory milestones and screens her book trailer.

Day 3: Calling Courtney

Yay! We've got another exciting sale story for everyone. Give a listen to Courtney's "call."

In the fall of 2005, I received two BIG calls from the guy who is now my agent – one offering representation for my book; and another letting me know that Simon & Schuster had officially made an offer to buy it. I had known that Simon & Schuster was considering the manuscript. I’ve been a huge Carly Simon fan for as long as I can remember, and this part of an email I sent to myself on October 27, 2005, the day the offer was supposedly coming in, so I could record what I was thinking:

My palms have been sweating all day today, literally. I listened to Carly Simon music on my commute to work this morning, hoping that she would send luck my way and somewhere some cosmic force would make the connection between my adoration of Carly Simon and my hopefulness about publication by Simon & Schuster -- her father's company.
I'm so impatient. It is one o'clock now. I'm impressed for making it to the other side of morning. How many more hours could it be? What if I don't find out today at all? What if it is bad news? What if I never get published?

It seems so silly to reread it now. I mean, I still love Carly Simon – but I can’t believe I actually thought listening to her music would determine whether I was published . . . or maybe it did. A few hours after I sent myself that email, I received THE CALL from my agent – the second big call. I was sitting in my office right off of Wall Street in New York City, where I should have been reading legal briefs, or something like that. But instead I was listening to my agent, saying Simon & Schuster was in fact offering representation.

The next month, November of 2005, my sister and I went to Carly Simon’s concert at Lincoln Center. It was absolutely incredible – the perfect way to celebrate everything that had happened.

Now that's a story! And we know you're going to listen to Carly now. ;) Tomorrow Courtney talks about her dedication of MY SO-CALLED FAMILY.

Day 2: All About Courtney

Today we're finding all about Courtney, including where she finds inspiration. Could be you'll find some too!

2k8: So, Courtney, where do you like to do most of your writing?

CS: Usually I sit on my bed with my laptop computer on my lap. Sometimes I bring my computer over to my best friend’s apartment (she lives in the same apartment building, just down the hall) and write over there. I also keep a little pad of paper in my purse so if I have an idea for a book while I’m out of the house, I can write it down before I forget.

2k8: Purse check, everyone! Now that we're prepared for emergency inspiration, tell us how the book came about? What got your started?

CS: The idea came to me in pieces – I have a friend who used a donor to have a baby, and my best friend told me about a movie that featured a number of donor kids. Then one day I was watching The Today Show, and there were a bunch of women being interviewed whose kids all had the same donor. I thought about what it would be like to have siblings you might not even know about, and the character Leah was born.

2k8: It's so awesome when puzzle pieces come together like that. How did you end up finding a publisher?

CS: I have been very, very lucky so far. When I finished my first manuscript, I called one of my professors from law school, who is also a writer. He gave me the name of his agent – I ended up signing with another agent at the same agency a few months later. After a few tweaks to the manuscript, my agent made a list of publishing houses he thought would be a good fit for me and my book, and the offer from Simon & Schuster came pretty quickly after that. The hardest part has been waiting for actual publication – I signed with Simon & Schuster almost three years ago. But it has all been well worth it.

2k8: Whoa! That is lucky. Did anything surprise you or catch you off guard while you were writing MY SO-CALLED FAMILY?

CS: I am pretty good at writing the first couple chapters of a book – it is what comes in the middle that is most difficult for me, and then I am caught off guard when I realize that I’m actually close to finishing – that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

2k8: That light is lovely, isn't it? Now imagine you have an offer from your dream press to publish your dream book, no matter how insane or unmarketable it might be. What story would you want to write and why?

CS: Each time I start to write a book, it becomes my favorite book – my dream book. I think because I see it as filled with possibility. Right now I am in the beginning phases of a new book, about a New York City girl who has to move away for the summer with her mom and sister, to Lancaster, PA. One of my current dreams is being able to finish it, and to see it also published by Simon & Schuster, since working with S&S has been an absolute dream come true.

Good luck with that Court! We're positive we'll see that story published with S&S.

We're pleased to introduce Courtney Sheinmel

You've heard about Courtney on tour, now here's your chance to better know this debut MG author.

Courtney Sheinmel grew up in California and New York and has always loved to write. She graduated with honors from Barnard College, part of Columbia University, and attended Fordham University School of Law. After practicing law for several years, Courtney left to concentrate on her writing full-time. Her second book, POSITIVELY, will be published by Simon & Schuster on September 8, 2009, and SINCERELY, SOPHIE/SINCERELY, KATIE comes out in 2010.

Leah Hoffman-Ross just moved to New York and she wants her new friends to think she’s a typical thirteen-year-old. But Leah has a secret: she doesn’t have a father, she has a donor. Before Leah was born, her mother went to Lyon’s Reproductive Services and picked Donor 730. Now Leah has a stepfather and a little brother, and her mom thinks that they should be all the family Leah needs.

Despite her attempts to fit in and be normal, Leah can’t help but feel like something is missing. When she finds the link to the Lyon’s Sibling Registry, Leah knows she has to see if she has any half-siblings. And when she discovers that one of the other kids from Donor 730 is a girl her age, Leah will do anything to meet her—even if she has to hide it from everybody else.

Rave Reviews:

"First-time novelist Sheinmel, a PW reviewer, motivates Leah insightfully and sympathetically—readers will understand her conflicts, both petty and major, as she gets to know another daughter of Donor 730 and keeps it a secret from her disapproving mother (“She's not your sister,” her mother insists when she finds out). As narrator, Leah's voice is right on key, whether describing the give-and-take of family life or revelations about what constitutes family. Smart, original and full of vitality." --PW (Starred)

“A thought-provoking and compelling debut, challenging readers to consider: ‘What makes a family?’” – Cynthia Lord, author of Newbery Honor Book Rules

“This story rocks – it’s warm, insightful, and utterly un-put-down-able” – Lauren Myracle, author of ttyl

“[O]ne of the truest self-discovery stories I have ever read” – 5 Stars, Gold Star of Excellence, courtesy of Teens Read Too

ALAN pick, September 2008

Wow! Talk about impressive reviews. Come back tomorrow for our 1-on-1 with Courtney where she'll share what part the Today Show played in inspiring MY SO-CALLED FAMILY.

BEA with Courtney Sheinmel

This was my first time at BEA. I'm somewhat of a camera addict, which drives my family crazy, but at least we have all the important events in our lives for posterity (as well as some not-so-important ones). My 2k8 classmates Donna Freitas and Nancy Viau were at BEA with me, and they didn't seem at all annoyed that I was following them around with my camera . . . but maybe they were just being nice.

Here are a few pictures from the first day at BEA, Friday May 30th (which also happened to be my grandmother's 93rd birthday -- Happy Birthday, Grandma!):

Nancy holding up a copy of our friend Debbie Reed Fischer's book, Swimming With Sharks, which was prominently displayed in the Flux booth.

Donna and me, posing in front of the poster for her excellent book, Possibilities of Sainthood, in the FSG booth, and later Donna signing in the autographing area (the guy in the yellow shirt in the far right is Cheech Marin).

Children's book ambassador Jon Scieszka holds up a copy of my book, My So-Called Family, right after I finished signing copies of my ARC.

Donna met me in the autographing section of the convention hall right after my signing. We went to Nancy's signing for Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in Her Head -- I can't wait to read it! Then we walked back to our hotel together. We meant to take a cab, but there were no cabs, so we carried ALL the books and galleys we had collected over the course of the day. I mean, bags and bags of books. It was about a mile to our hotel, but it seemed like 10 miles. The whole not getting a cab thing was kind of my fault because I made Donna leave through a different exit than the one she wanted to use. But she says she forgives me and that we're still friends. Anyway, it was a great workout.

The Best Bookstore in the World (part 1)...

This week we're chatting about our very favorite bookstores. Because even though we live in a wifi world, where Amazon is only a click away, we debut authors LOVE our bookstores. Big and small, dusty and shining, they come in all shapes and sizes...

Today, Courtney Sheinmel, author of My So Called Family, shares her personal fave.

Courtney?

Yep! See, the mother of one of my sister’s closest friends from high school, Caitlin, worked at The Corner Bookstore in Manhattan, which is famous for being the model for The Shop Around the Corner in the movie “You’ve Got Mail.” It was also the bookstore in the movie “The Prince of Tides,” in a pivotal scene when Nick Nolte figured out that his sister was living a double life.

Naturally, Caitlin was a big book person herself, and at some point, I told her about a book I had just finished – Ithaka, by Sarah Saffian. It was a memoir about an adoptee who had been found by her birthparents, and I thought it was wonderful. It had the added distinction of being written by a woman who had graduated from the same high school that Caitlin, my sister and I went to.

Caitlin told her mom, Vikki, about the book. Then, a few weeks later, Sarah Saffian happened to go into The Corner Bookstore. She introduced herself to Vikki, who remembered that I had loved the book. Vikki asked Sarah Saffian to sign a copy for me. I still have it – it is dated December 23, 1998: For Courtney, I’m so glad you enjoyed this! Warmly, Sarah Saffian. I was so excited when Caitlin came over and brought me the book. I couldn’t believe her mom had remembered. It was just the nicest thing. I keep Ithaka on my shelf of signed books.

Years later, my sister called to tell me that Caitlin’s mother had passed away. I didn’t know her well, but I think about her whenever I glance over at my bookshelf and see Ithaka, and some other times too, for no explicable reason. Caitlin is now a writer herself – in addition to countless articles, she co-authored a book called The Best Things to Do in New York (which was very well-received and even reviewed as an “inspiration digest”), and she’s currently at work on her next book. I called Caitlin to ask if I could write about her mom, and she said I could. She also told me something very cool – her brother is now working at The Corner Bookstore.

Yeah, see... these are the kinds of special, personal, real things that happen in those awesome indies, where people actually know one another. Don't you love bookstore people? So great!

And to you, our readers... we pose the same question... what's *your* favorite bookstore?