It’s been one heck of a year over at McWoof Worldwide Enterprises. We’ve moved around a bit, published some stuff, taken some pictures, and, most importantly, added an exciting new team member. Be sure to stay tuned for thrilling new adventures in the year to come. In the meantime, here’s a little video treat starring our newest member.

The holidays are upon us. I’m generally lukewarm about Christmas but I’ve always enjoyed the annual delusion-fest of the New Year’s Resolution. I have no recollection of any resolutions I’ve made in the past (except for that one time I resolved to find a boyfriend) so I can’t report on what my track record is when it comes to following through. Still, it’s as good a time as any to attempt self-improvement. And who doesn’t need a little of that.

To make the exercise more efficient and results-oriented, this year I’ve decided to begin by figuring out what my worst flaws are. As such, I’ve come up with the following list:

1) Multi-tasking. I can’t do it. If I attempt to exercise while making bread, I burn the bread. If I’m silently outlining my novel while you’re talking to me, I’m ignoring you. Unfortunately, with a baby, a husband, a career, and a punishing travel schedule, multi-tasking is essential. Much room for improvement here.

2) Focus. You’d think a person this incapable of multi-tasking would be undistractable, the kind of person who gets so deeply enmeshed in the task at hand that other tasks disappear. Think again. While I may be incapable of doing more than one task at a time, I’m very good at stressing about the tasks I’m currently not doing. This annoys me and everyone around me.

3) Eyeliner. Every once in a while, I get it exactly right and can’t believe how beguiling my eyes look. The rest of the time I look like an eight-year-old girl who just broke into her mother’s make up drawer. At 42, I should know how to apply eyeliner by now. I consider this an embarrassing developmental delay.

4) Nail biting. Is there any reason why I still do this? I get nothing out of it. It’s unhygienic and silly. And yet, I can’t resist.

That’s all I can think of for now. Undoubtedly there are more, but I’m so distracted now by the appalling state of my eye make up that I can’t focus any more and need to go bite my nails.

What do you suck at?

From the Portland Mercury:

If the sexual confusion and acceptance of Cycler were the big YA sensation right now and not vampire boyfriends who sneak in your room to watch you sleep, the cultural landscape would look pretty different. In a good way.

That just made my morning. And now I must pack. More later from across The Pond.

The super fantastic Readergirl has posted a most illuminating interview with me. Among the mysteries demystified:

1)My favorite books of ‘09 (hint: they involve lying and cyborgs)

2)The subject of my next novel, Steal the Future (hint: neither lying nor cyborgs involved)

3) What every aspiring writer needs in order to succeed (hint: lying and cyborgs not necessary, but helpful)

But what’s even better is that Readergirl is working with HomeBase Youth Services to collect donated Young Adult books for foster kids who have aged out of the system and all too often wind up on the street. It’s a terrific organization and I’ll be sending her a bunch of books myself. Pitch in if you can. Books should be sent to :

Readergirl
P.O. Box 84
Peoria, AZ
85380-0084

So here I am sitting comfortably between the completion of Novel Number Three and the beginning of Novel Number Four. Usually, by the time I’ve finished one project, a handful of others, which have been burbling for months in the Mind Swamp, start to compete for my attention.

But the Mind Swamp is strangely quiet these days. Not an idea fish in sight. It’s both exhilarating and a little bit terrifying.

I’ve spent the past few days brainstorming. Just throwing stuff out there. Seeing what sticks. So far, lots of throwing, not so much sticking. Here’s an abbreviated list of ideas I came up with and quickly discredited.

1. A Jail Story
pros: taut, claustrophobic tension
cons: never been to jail, possibly depressing

2. A Mind Swap or Bodysnatchers Story
pros: creepy, sci fi, potentially sexy
cons: been done, most recently by me

3. Retrofitting My Unpublished Space Opera Into an Urban Fantasy
pros: characters, plot are already developed; urban fantasy cool right now
cons: what to do with all the space ships

4. Jesus Christ, the Teen Years
pros: ?
cons: offending nearly everyone

Keep in mind, these were the best ideas. I think it’s back to the drawing board.

In case you’ve ever wondered about the perils and pitfalls of adapting a novel to the screen, here’s me talking to MTV’s Hollywood Crush about it.

Go forth and be educated.

Just don’t ask me why I left that scene out. You know that scene. The one you can’t believe I had the nerve to omit.

Here’s me talking about Jack’s id and the development of (Re)Cycler with Ron Hogan:

The rest of the article is available at beatrice.com

Here’s the announcement of my movie deal in the Hollywood Reporter.

I’ll keep you updated on the progress. Casting suggestions are especially welcome.

To the thoughtful student who emailed me with an interesting question about Cycler: I responded via email but got trapped in your filter somehow. If you can figure out how to eliminate the filter, let me know. Otherwise, if you want me to answer your question here in the comments section of my blog, just post a comment here.

cheers,
Lauren

I’ve done my best to infect as many people as possible with my uniquely alluring, though still quite deadly, mind viruses. But why stick to just one blog when you can spray your mind-product across the whole Web.

That’s right, I’m going on a blog tour. And the following wonderful people have offered up their websites as vectors. Please visit them. They’re good people.

11/15 The Page Flipper

11/16 Cheryl Rainfield Reviews

11/17 The Children’s Book Review

11/18 Book Chic

11/19 Write for A Reader

11/20 Y Pulse

11/21-11/22 RandomBuzzers.com

11/23 Beatrice.com

11/24 MTV.com “Hollywood Crush” blog

On tour I will be discussing such topics as:

Where ideas come from (hint: think murky fetid waters)

How to re-invent yourself while destroying yourself at the same time

The limits of gender

What it’s like to revisit my old life as a screenwriter

As always, you’ll be free to ask embarrassing questions at any of these sites. Or you can just ask them here. Whatever’s easiest.