Shameless Saturday

Here's what Booklist says about Kristin O'Donnell Tubb's middle grade historical, WINIFRED OLIVER DOES THINGS DIFFERENT: "Tubb’s inventive heroine comes across as a female version of familiar characters, such as Gary Paulsen's Harris or Robert Newton Peck's Soup. This homespun tale,f ull of folksy humor and based on historical fact, will appeal to young fans of Deborah Wiles' and Ruth White's books."





Book Chic loves Debbie Reed Fischer's Young Adult, BRALESS IN WONDERLAND. Read the interview here.

SWIMMING WITH THE SHARKS also by Debbie Reed Fischer was given the Gold Star Award for Excellence by TeensReadToo.com. Here is the review.






Guess what independent booksellers for children across the nation are recommending?

THE MAGIC THIEF by Sarah Prineas and THE POSSIBILITIES OF SAINTHOOD by Donna Freitas
Check out the catalog.


GO GANG!

Day 3: Up Close and Online with Daphene Grab

One of the many awesome things about getting my book published has been discovering the on-line kidlit community. I think a lot of people know about this community before selling their first book but I lack internet savvy and so it was a wonderful surprise for me. My first discovery was the wonderful Fuse#8 , which is the perfect starting point since she is the center of everything kidlit. Her blog lead me to favorites like Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast and Bookshelves of Doom, as well as clueing me in to some great new books.

MySpace lead me to some great YA review blogs, like BookChic, And Another Book Read and the Compulsive Reader. It also lead me to a bunch of author sites. I follow a lot of author blogs now but my favorites are Meg Cabot’s and The Disco Mermaids. I also love blogs of people breaking into the business, like the wonderful Debbi Michiko Florence and Hip Writer Mama.

For years I was embarrassed to be an adult who read kid books. I thought I was the only one and I’d hide the covers of my books when I read on the subway, stuffing my latest YA favorite into my backpack so fast that no one could see that the thirty-something woman across the aisle was reading a book for teens. But now I’m part of this incredible community that loves kid books as much as I do. I know there are thousands of us around the country, reading and loving our teen and MG books. I now display my books with pride, and smile when I see that people are reading over my shoulder. Who wouldn’t want to read over my shoulder when I’m in the middle of BRALESS IN WONDERLAND or the latest Sarah Dessen?!

What I love the most about all these sites is how warm and open people are. This business could be so competitive and mean but instead it’s a group of people bound together by a love of kidlit, who are thrilled to discover another new book by another new author. Which is pretty much a dream come true for this new author!

Aurevoir Debbie Reed Fischer!

2k8: This is the last day of Debbie Reed Fischer's launch week. And, after a small amount of arm twisting, she's agreed to dish up the dirt on her personal brush with modeling. We appreciate her candor!

So, Debbie, did you ever do any modeling yourself?

Debbie Reed Fischer: Never! Although I did have a sexy pout when I was a baby. However, the elephantine proportion of my giant bobble head to the rest of my body may have prevented a modeling career.



2k8: Yowzer, Deb!

Debbie Reed Fischer: (grin) Later, I could've been a hair model. My hair was so perfectly feathered, the back of my head looked like a tush.



Next, I modeled western wear. Note that I was way ahead of my time wi the waiste-under-the-armpits look. Everyone thinks Apoo from the Simpsons popularized that fashion, but as you can see, it was me.



2k8: In the modeling world, fashion obviously plays a big part. Has fashion payed a big part in your life?

Debbie Reed Fischer: Nowadays, my uniform is a tank top, jeans and flip flops. When I was growing up, though, I used clothes to sort of figure out my identity. Sadly, I have the photos to prove it.

2k8: (chanting) Where? Where? Where? Come on. Debbie, you promised.

Debbie Reed Fischer: (sighing) Fine. Here are photos of my deranged fashion experiment of the 80s. Uh, for the first pic, please lean back from your monitor. The image may cause blindness due to the glare of hella-big rhinestones.

Beware the bedazzler gone mad. What was I thinking with that flashing booger-green rhinestone in the middle of my shirt? Was I signaling the mother ship? Guiding boats into the harbor? And, personally, I don't think I have enough accessories. I could have used another sequined headband or two to complement those disco pirate hoops.



Look, everyone! It's a mullet AND a Chanuka bush. Happy Holidays!


I really think this look should come back, don't you? Thighs look so attractive all shrink-wrapped in white spandex. And I especially love the yellow stocking ankle socks. Beyond sexy.


Now, we've come to the take-me-seriously-because-I'm-a-film-maker-and-screenwriter-and-suffering-poet look. I must dye my hair black, refuse to comb it and wear a black leather jacket every day. (With nine layers of shoulder pads and a string of pearls. Natch.)

Okay, I'll spare you the Sally-Jesse-raphael-red-glasses phase and the surfer-with-woven-tunics phase. So, I had a bit of an identity crisis for a few years, probably resulting from moving every two years and having to reinvent myself at every new school I attended. Is it any wonder I'm a writer?

2k8: No, Debbie, it's no surprise you're a writer. And after reading Braless in Wonderland, we're so glad you took some of that fashion-statement energy and fueled it into writing. :) Thank you for a great week on the blog!



Hey, peeps, don't be sad. Don't be glum. Even though Debbie's launch week is over, you can find her all over the place online and off. Check out the following:

Debbie will be the deubt author in Alice Pope's upcoming newsletter CWIM blog.

And you can catch Debbie next week on K.L. Going's forum.

She'll be the featured guest author on Dutton Writers Room soon.

On May 1st, Debbie'll be appearing on her NBC affiliate on a program called South Florida Today!!

Click on Debbie's website for signing dates. She's part of a Trio of Tropical Reads tour with fellow young adult authors Dorian Cirrone and Gaby Triana.

Also, stop by Debbie's blog and her myspace for contests and givewaways.

Day 4: Debbie on Alice in Wonderland

2k8: Welcome, peeps, to the Class of 2k8's blog. We're celebrating the launch of debut young adult author Debbie Reed Fischer's Braless in Wonderland. Yup. Braless in Wonderland is out in the world and making friends everywhere! 

So, Debbie, how does working in the modeling business compare to working as a writer?

Debbie Reed Fischer: Aside from inspiring the characters and plot, every day in the agency is a race. You’re racing other agencies to get the best models before anyone else signs them, you’re racing to get models to their castings on time, you’re racing to make sure the model arrives at her booking before the photographer loses light. Every situation in the modeling business is a deadline situation, just like publishing. It’s excellent preparation for doing any job well under pressure, I think. It’s also a very creative, artistic environment, which inspired me a lot. I still enjoy feeling that vibe when I visit my friend Allee at the agency.

2k8: Allee? You mean like your main character?

Debbie Reed Fischer: Yes, there is a real Allee, and she’s a modeling agent. She and my character are not the same person, though. It’s just a name thing.

2k8: Ahhh.... And just how important is the South Beach setting in your book?

Debbie Reed Fischer: Very. I wanted elements of Alice in Wonderland to be woven throughout the story, and there is no place more Wonderland-esque than Miami Beach. The art deco district is dream-like. Candy-colored hotels look like cruise ships, graffiti murals, plastic flamingos, modern art galleries, neon lights in the palm trees, retro cafes. And where else do you have pink sidewalks? It’s kooky gorgeous.

The Delano Hotel (featured below) appears several times in the book, because the interior design is based on Alice in Wonderland. Guests enter the hotel through a hedge, then walk through a breezy, tunnel-like lobby with mismatched furniture and harlequin patterns. The back garden has furniture submerged in the pool and an oversized chess set on the lawn. South Beach is not your random tourist beach. It has a soul and a history. Not to mention it’s the perfect metaphor for a transformation story. There was a time no one would go near the art deco district because it was run down and dangerous. Now it’s America’s Riviera.





2k8: Tell us about Allee’s transformation.

Debbie Reed Fischer: Posing in front of the lens allows Allee to express herself in new ways, forcing her to take a close look at her goals and her values. As Allee re-discovers what it means to be a feminist and to be happy with herself, she also learns that there is more than one way to be a woman. It’s a classic geek-to-chic story, but also raises questions about stereotyping, independence and family. As Allee’s appearance changes with the rise of her modeling career, her beliefs change too . Views about her sister, her model roommates, and ultimately, herself, are turned on their head.

Not your average Alice in Wonderland...

2k8: Superstitions: Athletes have wacky superstitions, but writers have some too. Do you have any?

Debbie Reed Fischer: I have to buy a new skirt from the same store the day before every SCBWI conference. The reason is because the first time I did that, I was signed by my agent at the conference. The following year I did it again, and I met my editor. Now I have to buy a skirt from that same store the day before every conference. It brings me luck.

2k8: Any model tips for us?

Debbie Reed Fischer: If you need to hide your belly, put a baby on your lap.


2k8: Thanks for stopping by, Debbie. How would you feel about organizing a 2k8 reunion at the Delano Hotel? :)

Day 3: Debbie: On writing and reality shows

2k8: We're back with Debbie Reed Fischer, debut young adult author of Braless in Wonderland. Yup. That's her above. What a cutie patootie child model! 

So, Debbie, inquiring minds want to know. Where do you do most of your writing?


Debbie Reed Fischer: We have a wood-paneled library in our house and I love to write in it when I’m home. I also write at Dunkin Donuts, cafés in South Beach, and when my kids are with me, at Chuck E. Cheese. There must be something fundamentally wrong with me because I actually feel relaxed at Chuck E's.

2k8: (whispering) Do ya think she tidied her office for this picture? Because, if not, then the rest of us are just, uh, messy, messy writers.

Debbie Reed Fischer: For writing longhand, I love the beach. The only downside is discovering sand in your notebooks when you get home. Or the occasional seaweed.



But, my number one Mac Daddy place to write is the library. Any library. When I really need to buckle down, that’s where I go. I love the boxy, little study rooms. I even love the arctic sub zero air conditioning when it’s 99 degrees outside. I bundle up in sweats and keep thick, wooly socks in my backpack to wear with my flip flops. It’s sexy.

2k8: Did anything surprise you or catch you off guard when you were writing Braless in Wonderland?



Debbie Reed Fischer: Yes, I was and still am completely gobsmacked by how many librarians watch America’s Next Top Model and all those model reality shows. Teens I can understand, but literary ladies and gentlemen? Any time I mention my book, they tell me how much they love to watch models on TV, but they whisper it, like it’s a dirty secret. They actually filmed an MTV reality show about models and bookers at an agency where I worked. It was called Eighth and Ocean. The photo above is from the show.




2k8: So, dahlings, join us again tomorrow for more scoop on Debbie Reed Fischer...

Day 2: How Debbie became a model booker...

2k8: We're back for the second day of debut author Debbie Reed Fischer's launch week. Her young adult novel, Braless in Wonderland, is available everywhere.

Debbie, you've got to tell everyone that great story of how you became a model booker. AND explain the strange pic at the top of today's post!

Debbie Reed Fischer: Well, I sort of fell into it. Or rather, it fell into me.

During my senior year of college, I had an internship at a model and talent agency. On my first day, I was told to file head shots and resumes in these huge, floor-to-ceiling filing cabinets. There were six of them. Wildly curious about the talent repped by the agency, I spent more time reading the resumes than filing. So I wasn’t paying attention to the fact that I had pulled open every single drawer on this one filing cabinet.

Until I heard a strange creaking sound.

And jumped out of the way just in time.

The entire filing cabinet tipped over, knocking into the one next to it, then into the next one, and so on and so on and so on, until the last mammoth filing cabinet crashed into the wall. It was like giant dominoes.

The owner actually had to hire a moving company to set the cabinets straight again!

Certain I was fired, I sneaked out early. Later, I received a call from the owner. “You’re the best intern we’ve ever had,” she said. “I want to hire you.”

I took the job, and the next day, told the story to this stunning model lounging in the waiting area. “Don’t you think it’s weird I got hired?” I asked her.

“No,” the model replied. “That’s the business. It’s crazy.”

And she was right. It was glamorous AND crazy.


2k8: How did get from being a model booker to writing Braless in Wonderland?

Debbie Reed Fischer: I’m a graduate of the University of Miami’s screenwriting program, so my plan was to write screenplays. Although, as fate would have it, I fell into the business side of the film industry, starting out as a talent agent for TV and film.

And then I did the model booking thing in Miami. The modeling world provided me with a treasure chest of material to write about. I usually felt like the blonde on The Munsters, scratching my head and wondering what planet I’d landed on. I kept notebooks on everyone and everything while I worked there, and years later, those notes came in very handy when I sat down to write the Braless in Wonderland. The book is fiction, but the notes make the scenes really authentic.

2k8: Thanks, Debbie!

Oh, yeah, and about those modeling terms from yesterday's post--

backdrop: whatever's behind the model at a photo shoot (eg. seamless paper)

clean-clean: clean hair (as in washed), clean face (as in no makeup), how you might be instructed to show up at a photo shoot

cyc studio: a photo studio with no corners

(From Model Business)


Join us tomorrow for the inside skinny on where Debbie does her writing!

Psssst! In the meantime...hop on over to Nineteen Teen where M.P. Barker, author of A Difficult Boy, is guest blogging today. You don't want to miss it!

Introducing the one and only Debbie Reed Fischer!

The Class of 2k8 is thrilled to announce the release of Braless in Wonderland by debut young adult author, Debbie Reed Fischer!

Braless in Wonderland is a humorous, fast-paced teen story about a girl who falls into the world of modeling.

And Debbie Reed Fischer was the perfect person to write this stay-up-all-night-to-finish-it book. She's definitely no stranger to the modeling business, having worked for many years as a model booker in Miami, where she experienced the daily dramas of the weird and the beautiful.

Other job adventures from her past include hosting a cable TV show for teens, picking melons on a kibbutz, teaching middle and high school English, and singing in a USO troupe. Talk about multi-talented!!

Debbie grew up in a sleepy Florida town much like Cape Comet (where her protagonist, Allee Rosen, grew up) and has also lived in England, Greece, and Israel.

In high school, she spent a lot of time in math class writing stories, songs, and long notes to her friends. Now you know why we don't let her figure out the tip in restaurants!

A graduate of the University of Miami's screenwriting program, Debbie currently lives in Boynton Beach, Florida, with her husband and two kids, where she feeds them a steady diet of take-out. Her second teen novel, Swimming with the Sharks, will be released in September. Debbie is our class Energizer Bunny!



And here's a head shot (just to throw a little modeling lingo your way!) of our very own Debbie Reed Fischer, author of Braless in Wonderland.



About Braless in Wonderland...

Allee Rosen is a lot of things: high school senior, overachiever, feminist, brainiac. The one thing she’s not is super model material. She leaves that to pretty people like her little sister (a.k.a. “The Fluff”). That’s why it’s a complete shock when Allee, not her sister, is the one spotted by modeling scouts at the mall and signed by a major modeling agency in Miami.
It’s classic GEEK-to-CHIC – but it’s not like it’s going to change her, right? She’s just doing it for the money that will pay her way through college. Very soon, however, Allee is swept up in the whirlwind of go-sees, designer labels and photo shoots. Will her elusive “It Girl” status lead Allee to drop her dreams and forget who she really is?

Issues of body image, feminism and personal growth are woven throughout the story as readers enjoy a funny, honest insider’s peek at what really goes on behind the cameras.

“The book gets inside of the mind a new model, especially her insecurities and her misconceptions about what models are like,” Fischer commented in an interview in the March issue of Portrait magazine. “It’s also about holding on to the core of who you are, but being willing to grow and change.” In the world of fashion, nothing is ever what it seems, and much like Alice in Wonderland, this novel is a surreal adventure full of self-discovery and transformation, with plenty of glamour and fun along the way.




We're not the only people who love Braless in Wonderland. Here's what others are saying...

"Detailed and realistic . . . Fischer has worked for many years as a booker in Miami, and she really knows the business." --KLIATT

"Such a page-turning book, you might sweep through it as quickly as you can say ‘go-see.’ This book is like watching a fast-paced teen drama . . . you can't help but root for Allee Rosen, in all of her unglamorous glory.” --Today’s Teen of the Palm Beach Post

"Braless in Wonderland thrusts the reader into the world of modeling . . . pick up this book!" *****--TeensReadToo.com

"A good book for growing up and seeing people for who they really are . . . worth the read.” --Romantic Times Book Reviews magazine

"Braless in Wonderland is an unexpected delight . . . I found myself drawn into the character’s adventure . . . an accurate and enticing peek into the real world of modeling, which includes not only the glitz and the glamour, but the downsides and pressures. There is a fun array of characters and scenarios, and I was left feeling that unlike many books, this one didn’t fail to live up to its own plotlines potential."
--Portrait magazine

Populated with a fun vibe, an inside look at the world of Miami modeling agencies, and some great secondary characters, Braless in Wonderland is well worth picking up for some by-the-pool summer reading. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Reed Fischer.
-EnchantingReviews.com

Join us tomorrow for how Debbie Reed Fischer became a model booker and got to use cool terms like "clean-clean" and "backdrop" and "cyc studio." See, Deb, we really do listen to you!

Debbie: Not Afraid to Love the B&N...

Debbie Reed Fischer, author of Braless in Wonderland, has two favorite bookstores, and we're including them both here because we're proud of Debbie's willingness to own her love for the BIG guys. A good reminder that there are amazing people in every corner of bookland. And we appreciate all of them!

Debbie?

There are two bookstores that rock my world. The first is Books and Books in South Miami. Every time I go there, I feel like I'm walking into a party, which is often the case. The bookstore is U-shaped, with the inside of the U being an outdoor courtyard with a bar and tables. Whenever a book launch takes place, there's a band, hor d'ouerves (often Cuban pastelitos), always the sense of celebration. There's nothing better than a night visit to Books and Books: first, you browse on the hard wood floors inside, buy your books, then hit the courtyard for a glass of wine, a little salsa music and a warm tropical breeze all year round.

I also like a certain Plantation Barnes and Noble with the greatest CRM in the community, Susan Boyd. Her store is centrally located between three counties, and she really supports Florida authors. Susan has a way about her that brings the author community together so that we all support each other and come out for each other's signings.