Party In The U.S.A....Or Schwerinborg

Fan mail is one of the best things about being a writer. I've had thirteen books and two novellas published, but never fail to enjoy the "squee!" moment of opening each day's fan mail.

Lately, however, a huge percentage of my mail has contained various forms of the same question: When will there be a movie based on the Royally Jacked books?

The answer is: I don't know. I am a writer living in Boston, not the head of a movie studio. However, I do have an agent who handles these sorts of things, so you never know! A movie or TV show is always a possibility. And it's definitely fun to think about.

I'm not sure what spurred the recent deluge of When-Is-Val-Going-Onscreen mail (do you know something I don't?), but it's been fun to read all the suggestions you have for casting.

Judging from your e-mails, the number one pick for Valerie is Miley Cyrus. I can see that--she has that clean cut, yet edgy vibe you get with Val. And, of course, there's the whole relationship with her dad (which is a huge part of the Royally Jacked series.) So that gives Billy Ray a role, too.

Miley's not the only name to hit my in-box, however. Here, some of the suggestions that have been made recently:

Valerie Winslow: Ashley Tisdale, Taylor Swift, Shailene Woodley, and Jennette McCurdy (quite a range there!)

Prince Georg: Joe Jonas (LOTS of e-mails for Joe), Daniel Radcliffe, Daren Kagasoff

David Anderson: Chace Crawford (the top suggestion), Jesse McCartney, Jason Earles

Christie Toleski: Taylor Swift (nearly as many e-mails for Taylor to play Christie as for Miley to play Val!), Emily Osment, Dakota Fanning

Jules Jackson: Kristin Stewart, Selena Gomez, Taylor Momsen

Natalie Monschroeder: Demi Lovato, Emma Roberts, Vanessa Hudgens, Miranda Cosgrove

Ulrike: Abigail Breslin, Dakota Fanning

Steffi: Minka Kelly, Nikki Reed

Fun, huh? But the one that made me call my husband to the computer with a "Watch this!" was a YouTube video trailer. Apparently, it's been posted to YouTube for several months, but I only heard about it last week.



(If that's not working, check it out right here.)

So what do you think? Who would you cast? And what about other romantic comedy books--any you're dying to see on-screen?

Too Good For Words

Here's what happens when you start playing around on the internet when you should be writing: You come across the website for your Dutch publisher, and you get to see what your titles become when translated.

So if you were to go shopping for my books in Amsterdam anytime soon (lucky you...ride a bike on cobblestones while you're there!), be aware that Royally Jacked is actually Prince Charming:



Spin Control becomes Confusing Love, which I understand, since the phrase "spin control" doesn't exactly translate:



Ditto Scary Beautiful, which the Dutch publisher titled Too Good For Words:



And finally, Do-Over becomes Second Chance? (with the question mark in the title):



Which title do you like best? Foreign titles better than the originals? (While I like the sound of Too Good For Words, it makes a pretty big promise as a title! Is ANY book too good for words? Wrap your head around that one....)

Heath

As many of you know, Val Winslow, the main character in Royally Jacked, Spin Control, and Do-Over, has a serious Heath Ledger obsession.

She's seen all his movies multiple times. Her entire theory of male/female relationships is based on Heath's actions as William Thatcher in A Knight's Tale. According to Val, a cute guy will pick the Shallow Princess ("if you love me, you'll lose") over a practical, hardworking Armor Girl every time. Suffice it to say, somewhere in the fictional world, Val is in a mighty funk.

The world is worse off for having lost Heath Ledger. Greatest sympathies to his family and friends.

A Day of Mourning

Tonight, the Golden Globe winners will be announced at a press conference. As in, no show, no dresses, no blingy shoes on pedicured feet for Joan and Melissa Rivers to ogle. With the writers' strike still on, the show is off. (Anyone else want to join me in a community "Waaah!"?)

As a writer, I'm all for it. Hollywood's writers work hard to create the storylines that keep us talking...how much time have you spent debating the plot twists on Lost, Heroes, Desperate Housewives, or Gossip Girl? The DVD sales from those shows stand to earn studios a lot of money, and writers deserve to earn a reasonable piece of that pie.

However, cancelling the ceremony means the actors and shows that win won't get their moment of glory--which is a big career boost. This year, it also means Steven Spielberg won't have an audience as he picks up a well-deserved Cecil B. DeMille Award. And it's not just the award winners who lose out. Calling off the show means a huge hit to the the L.A. economy. Given all that, I hope the strike ends soon, with all sides feeling the conclusion was reasonable, to prevent the same thing happening with the Oscars.

I'll admit, even though my writer side supports the strike...as an awards show fan, I'm in mourning. (I swear, the fact I'm wearing black today is a total coincidence. Really.) I mark the ceremony date on my calendar and even get up early on the day nominations are announced to find out who's up for which award. I enjoy it so much that I decided one of my characters, Val Winslow of the Royally Jacked books, should have an awards show addiction just so I could write about it.

Most years, I have friends over to watch the broadcast with me. As the stars make their red carpet entrances, we discuss their outfits (usually predicting who'll end up on Go Fug Yourself the next morning) and fill out ballots, trying to see who can pick the most winners. (Tip to those of you with awards show pools: nailing the documentary and music categories is what makes the difference!) But who'll be this year's fashion Cher? Who'll be this year's Halle Berry? Hopefully, we'll find out come Academy Awards night. I want to see what Amy Adams, Jodie Foster, and Keira Knightley wear this year.

What about you? Are you in mourning, or is the lack of an awards show no big thing to you? Are you in it for the fashion, the awards, or the speeches? Whose dress did you want to see? Me, I most want my regularly scheduled house party!