Monday, April 12, 2010

He Favors His Wah Wah Fresh Flushed

I took Scooter to the vet today for his annual checkup. Scooter's, that is. I have no idea how often the vet gets checked up.

It took fifteen minutes to get Scooter into the carrier. We reenacted much of The Miracle Worker during that time. He was Helen Keller and I was Anne Sullivan.

Scooter screamed all the way there and all the way home. At the vet's though, he didn't make a sound.

For those of you keeping score at home, Scooter weighed in at 13 pounds 4 ounces. His stool sample was negative, his ears were clean, and he didn't bite once. And I don't have to take him back for a year (thank goodness).

Once I got him home, I raced back to my car, and drove to Walmart. A couple of months ago, someone at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt told me that Walmart was going to be carrying one or more of my books. She wasn't sure what though, whether it was just going to be Life As We Knew It or the dead and the gone, but she did say they'd only be carrying the paperbacks.

I went to the neighborhood Walmart a few times since then to see if the books were there, and they weren't. I considered the possibility that I'd hallucinated the whole thing. Stranger things have happened.

But recently I've gotten a couple of emails from people saying they saw This World We Live In in their neighborhood Walmarts. One person even sent me a photograph.



So today I went back, and by golly, Walmart had all three books. I took it upon myself to tidy the display, and inspired by the email I'd been sent, took a picture.


Then, when I came home, I found a package containing the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award that Life As We Knew It won. I knew it was coming, but I wasn't expecting such a beautiful silver platter.




I took many pictures (it's hard to photograph a silver platter). At one point, Scooter suggested that the file cabinet might be a good place to put it (I begged to differ).

What I haven't taken a picture of is the revised first draft of Blood Wounds. However I'm delighted and somewhat relieved to report it's done. Two bad things happen in the first 70 pages or so, and I changed the second of the two bad things after I'd written the first draft, so I had to rewrite a good amount. I also completely rewrote (well, I recycled about five pages) of the third section of the book.

I will now ignore it until after I get back from Missouri, where I'm going next week to get the Truman Award for Life As We Knew It. Then I'll polish that sucker like it was a silver platter. And I'll hang up the silver platter, which I don't want to do until I see what the Truman Award looks like.

Between now and then, Evan Lysacek will be doing a tango on Dancing With The Stars, the New York Yankees will have their home opener, and Adam Lambert will be mentoring and performing on American Idol.

If Scooter knows what's good for him, he let me do all the screaming!

17 comments:

Luker said...

that sounds like a very eventful and good day!

Susan Beth Pfeffer said...

Hi Luker-

It was very eventful, good, and exhausting!

Elaine Marie Alphin said...

The platter looks gorgeous! And congrats on WalMart's appreciation of the sales potential of your books (I doubt their brass read them to appreciate the content). Also - major congrats on your Blood Wounds progress!!!

I survived Omaha (actually I had a wonderful time, though the long drive merited a survival badge) and I'm back to work on Permanent Record - I intend to complete the first draft by the end of the week, all distractions to the contrary. It should work - I finished one chapter yesterday, one today, and I've only got four more to go. Unless a new chapter surprises me, which could happen. But it will still have to fit in this week's time frame.

Susan Beth Pfeffer said...

Hello Elaine Marie Alphin-

Boy, we're hardworking and industrious (okay, you're hardworking and industrious; we'll discuss what I am some other time).

The Walmart thing is so amazing. While I don't want to comment on the quality of their YA section (because the only books I've read there are ones I've written), I did notice a heavy preponderance of vampires and gossipers.

It makes me feel like I've been invited at sit at the popular kids table in the high school cafeteria!

Anonymous said...

I bought and ready This World We Live In today. I was sad when i got to the end because I didn't want the book to be over.

Please write more books in this series.

heather t said...

Congratulations on... everything! The silver platter is very pretty.

Kristin Morales said...

Sounds like a very tiring, but exciting day. Congratulations on the beautiful platter!

Carrie said...

I'll be at the MASL conference. I'm so excited that you're coming and to accept a well-deserved award.

Susan Beth Pfeffer said...

Good Tuesday morning Anonymous and heather t and Kristin Morales and Carrie-

It's always exciting for me to realize people are reading my books. Beautiful awards are quite exciting also.

But probably the most exciting moment yesterday was closing the door on Scooter in the cat carrier!

Carrie Ryan said...

I had to comment when I saw your picture from walmart - I can tell just from the edges that the book next to yours is mine -- this gives me insane joy to be in such amazing company!

Not only have I been so excited about this world we live in, by my mom has been asking me weekly for months about it and I couldn't have been more thrilled to finally put it in her hands!

Thanks and congrats!

Fear Death By Water said...

WOW! Carrie Ryan follows you too. Woot woot woot. I am a big fan of you both.

tim

ps

Clamor
Clamor
Clamor
Clamor

Susan Beth Pfeffer said...

Hello to Carrie Ryan and Tim-

I went to a Barnes & Noble today to say hello to my books, and while I was there, I said hi to your books also, Carrie Ryan.

Quietly. In a very soft voice. Almost a whisper. Definitely not at clamor level.

But I definitely said hi!

Anonymous said...

Thought you might gets a kick to know Wal-Mart in Lufkin Texas put out copies of all three books last week. It was the first time we had seen them there. They were all gone when I looked today.

Population of 38,000 and Wal-mart is the best "bookstore" in 100 miles other than Sam's (no I'm not kidding). Thank god for Amazon.

Congratulations on your continued success and please keep writing brilliant stories. My daughter and I will certainly keep reading them.

Susan Beth Pfeffer said...

Hi Anonymous and Anonymous's daughter-

I love having spies. I also love having my books at Walmart. I'm hearing from people who found them there.

Let's hope your Walmart restocks my books!

Julia said...

I really liked your book Life As We Knew It. It was great and I usually don't read a lot but I think I am going to give the other books in the series a try.

Julia said...

Dear Susan,
I read your first book "Life as We Knew It" and..... I LOVED IT!! I am not much of a reader but I really enjoyed this book and how some situations in the book are related to real life. Can't wait to read your next book

<3 Julia

Susan Beth Pfeffer said...

Hi Julia-

Thank you for your comments. I love hearing that people like my books!