Posts from — April 2009

Pull up a chair, a beanbag, or your neighbor, and take a seat, WordHustlers. Our latest WordHustlerInk interview is doozy! Meredith Zeitlin is not only a voiceover artist, actress, genius, and all-around great gal, she’s also coming out with a funny, honest, entertaining YA book that is going to wow the world. It’s called “This Just In: Kelsey Finkelstein Is Freaking Out.” And we’ve got the sneak peek!

WordHustler sat down with Meredith to discuss her book, her dreams for publishing domination and….wine coolers? Hey, everybody’s doing it.

Buckle in and get ready for some wonderful tips and words of wisdom from an author on the brink!

WordHustler: Meredith, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us. Can you tell our readers how you got your start in publishing and entertainment?

Meredith Zeitlin: Thanks for having me! This is my first-ever interview, so I will try not to screw it up.

I’m a VORACIOUS reader, and have been my whole life. I love, love to read. And I actually come from a family of writers – almost everyone on my mom’s side of the family writes professionally. Growing up, I always wanted to be an author (that, and a prima ballerina) and had this plan to write the most incredible books. I’d get an idea (which was always strikingly similar in theme and style to whatever I’d just finished reading) and occasionally make it to page 5 before giving up. I was much more successful with the angst-filled poetry.

In high school, I worked on the paper and eventually became the Editor In Chief; I worked my ass off and loved everything about it. In college, I couldn’t decide whether to pursue writing or theatre, my other main activity, and I ended up doing both: I was a theatre major at Northwestern University, and also a member of the “Creative Writing for the Media” program, which accepts 12 students each year and focuses on screen/television writing and playwriting. (If anyone would like to read a TRULY terrible play that is a thinly disguised attempt by the author to deal with her unrequited love for a young man in her acting class, do be sure to let me know.)

When I graduated I figured I’d immediately be lauded as the next Bernadette Peters, which shockingly didn’t happen. Through a series of lucky strokes I started auditioning for voiceover work and have been doing it ever since. And it’s through a connection in the voiceover world that I found my fabulous literary agent, so I guess if everyone could join me for a chorus of “Que sera, sera” now, that would be great.

WH: What is Kelsey about?

MZ: Kelsey is about a smart, occasionally insecure, very ambitious 14-year-old girl named Kelsey Finkelstein, who is embarking on her freshman year of high school. She was the editor of her middle school paper, has always written for the paper, even thinks in articles (the book is narrated partly in articles that exist only in Kelsey’s mind), and has decided to rebrand herself in high school by doing something totally different - soccer team, school play…whatever she can think of. Unfortunately there are two main obstacles: 1) her little sister is discovered by a talent scout and suddenly becomes a celebrity and the focus of everyone’s attention and 2) everything Kelsey tries to do is a TOTAL DISASTER.

WH: What inspired you to write Kelsey? Were you reacting to the Gossip Girl brand of books and their lack of reality?

MZ: I wanted to write a book that was sort of a response to the Gossip Girl/Clique/etc. craze - a book about a REAL girl in NYC, who isn’t drinking martinis at the Savoy while clutching a limitless platinum card and having X-rated affairs with half of her school, but who drinks wine coolers in her friend’s living room, has parents that drive her insane, and thinks everyone is having sex but her. A book with a cast of relatable characters like the ones I loved growing up in books by Judy Blume, Lois Lowry, and Paula Danziger, for example. Books that made me feel like I wasn’t the only awkward bookworm in the world.

Also, I wanted to write a book that was challenging to read and funny (I hope). Because most young adult books I’ve read in the last decade - not all, but MANY - are so dumbed down as to be insulting. And that makes me furious! Why aren’t we challenging kids to learn anymore? Or more importantly, THINK?

WH: What was your road to getting published like?

MZ: Long. Longer than I thought it would be, despite repeated attempts to remain rational.

Once I finished the writing part, I had some very smart friends read the draft and give me their very helpful notes. I did another pass and when it was super ready-to-go, I made a list of agents who might be interested in the book. The first four were agents I had a direct connection to, the second group were agents I had a nominal connection to, and the third were agents who I had no connection to and would contact if the first two groups were a bust. I was really lucky to sign with the magnificent Elaine Markson, who was in Group One. Then I waited for a year, receiving “good rejections,” all of which said basically the same thing: they loved the voice, the humor, and the characters, but what was the hook!? I was like, Couldn’t the hook be the voice, the humor…but no.

So the hook became the thing to figure out. My agent and I tossed around some ideas and I came up with a secondary storyline and did a rewrite. We sent it out again. This time, John Rudolph, the delightful man who is now my editor at Putnam, told Elaine that he loved the voice, the humor, the characters… but he thought the book needed a hook. BUT – he wanted to have a conversation with me instead of rejecting the book outright. So we had a lovely phone chat in which I expressed my hesitation to make one of the characters a werewolf, and he said another way to go might be changing the narrative style. I brainstormed about that and came up with an idea I thought would be different enough but still totally true to the spirit of the story. I spent the next month rewriting the first 60 pages, I sent it to John, and then Elaine called me a week later with an offer!

It was extremely rad. But what I didn’t realize then is what an even longer road there is to getting the book finished! The momentum is hard to maintain when people say, “Oh you’re getting published? How great! When can I buy your book?” And you have to say, “Oh…maybe in a year and a half? Don’t forget, okay?”

But…I think it’s gonna be worth it.

WH: What’s your writing process? Outline? Synopsis? Seat of your pants?

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Announcing The Winners!!!

The time has come to announce the winners of WordHustler’s March Writing Contest, “Why I Write.” It was a tough decision for our WordHustler staff- from over hundreds of submissions, we selected three Winners and six Honorable Mentions.

Winners:

Robert Michael, Murfreesburo, TN

Quanie Mitchell, Cupertino, CA

Amanda Rosko, Ontario, Canada

Honorable Mentions:

Adam Thompson, Denton, TX

Cheryl Scheir, Dover, DE

Donna Eggert, Tabernacle, NJ

Elva Osterreich, Alamogordo, NM

Celoris Gates, Clarksville, TN

Magz Wiseman, Aberdeen, Scotland

If you didn’t win this time, you still have a chance to enter April’s writing contest, which celebrates National Poetry Month. Look for contest rules HERE.

The three winning essays are posted below. Read on to see how these three WordHustlers were eloquently able to capture the true spirit of what drives us to write.

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WordHustler’s Monthly Writing Contest: Poetry for April!

Spring has sprung, flowers are in bloom, and what better way to celebrate National Poetry Month than by some creative poems composed by WordHustler’s own poets? This month, send WordHustler a poem that showcases your poetic talents and you could win big!

In under 200 words, your task is to share with us an original piece that has not been previously published. Any theme, any topic, any form- just make sure it’s poetry. We will then sort through all the masterpieces and post the best 3 on WordHustlerInk.com*

So get those competitive juices flowing and hit your computer – submissions are due by MAY 2nd at 12:00pm PST. Go to the the WordHustler April Poetry Contest listing in the Contests section of WordHustler’s Markets (or HERE) and submit through our system to win!

There’s a bonus too – not only will the top 3 works be posted right here on WordHustlerInk for all the world to read and enjoy, the winning poets will also get one free submission (up to $5.99 value) each.

How’s that for inspiration?

See below for Official Rules and Regulations. Good Luck, Hustlers!

*Please Note: “Best” will be determined by the WH team. We are looking for compelling writing that gives us insight into you as a writer and what inspires you to do what you do. Note, the WH team consists of 10 writers with a combined experience of over 80 years in the industry who will determine which work captures the theme the most passionately….

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