HONK IF YOU HATE ME may have a few laughs at the expense of the fast food world, but in reality the fast food world needs no help from me when it comes to inciting giggles. Here are some stand-out fast food moments from the past year:
McDonald’s, Part I: “Salt lands McDonald’s employee in jail” Read More…
I pulled Monalisa Kent, the reluctant star of my novel HONK IF YOU HATE ME, out of a hole in the ground. An eight-inch-round hole, to be precise.
One of the first things I ponder when I read a new book is the inspiration for the story. What sparked that initial idea, or image, or mood, that led the author to write this particular book? Maybe it’s the writer in me, or the editor, or the book lover, or the curious girl, but I’m always itching to know. And there’s usually a story behind the inspiration for a story. Mona is no different. Her story actually began twenty years ago… Read More…
HONK IF YOU HATE ME is a book about secret identities, about the wish to be greater than who you are, about the need to feel like you’re more than the schlup that the outside world sees. Kind of puts you in the mind of superheroes, doesn’t it?
Think Superman. Think Batman. Think Wonder Woman.
Whether you’re a teen trying to survive school or a grown-up trying to survive the “real world”, who doesn’t want to be a superhero? Read More…
Futons. What a fabulous word. Go on, say it: Fuuuutonnnns. Can you hear it? Doesn’t your mouth love making those sounds? Ain’t it just plain fun? And isn’t it completely spectacular that there is a person in this world who could, in all seriousness, give a piece of furniture such a delightfully quirky name? I love the word “futon” so much that I simply had to work it into my teen novel HONK IF YOU HATE ME. Had to. Period.
But how to do it? I had my main character, Mona, setting fire to a furniture plant, so I could mention futons as one of the plant’s products, right? Nah. Somehow that didn’t do the word justice; it didn’t milk its quirkiness. I had to think big. Read More…
Biological Billboards. Human Directionals. Banner Shakers. Sign Twirlers. Whatever you call them, they’re eye-catching. And they’re in Honk If You Hate Me. Read More…
When I left the house tonight, I had every intention of going to the gym. But instead of pumping iron, I found myself on a dark street corner with the Meat Man. Uh-oh, that sounds bad…. But don’t worry, this is a G-rated post, I promise.
On my way to LA Fitness this evening, I passed a guy selling meat out of the back of his truck. Eureka!, Read More…
There’s a ton of food in HONK IF YOU HATE ME. The story is, after all, set in a town that owes its existence to the fast food industry—every other building has a drive-thru, the air reeks of French fry grease, and a mysterious, decade-long heat wave broils the town like a hamburger patty on the grill. But one of the most important foods in the book can’t be found in any fast food joint: Sweet and lovable Otter Pops. Read More…