Secrets of Kidlit: The Post Where Jen and Gail Discuss Pleather Pants

*Not Gail. *Or Jen.

You never forget your first and that will definitely be the case with the launch of my debut middle grade At Your Service last summer. But what I failed to take into account is that there are always new firsts to look forward to and celebrate. You’re Invited, which comes out tomorrow, is both Gail and my second books, but our first time writing together. The process has been crazy fun (and crazy crazy), and you can read more about our process here. But for today we thought we’d keep it fun by interviewing each other about, well, us.

Here goes:

So, Gail, what was your favorite part of co-writing You’re Invited with me? 

Gail: Making each other laugh! Thinking up something to try to top what you'd written in the chapter before was the best part. Second maybe to reading your comments on what I'd written. Oh, and reading your new chapters! It was like Christmas that lasted for a really, really long time. And our three-person phone calls with Amy (our editor). What am I talking about? I loved it all! Did you?

Jen: Yup. Much more than I thought I would*, for all the reasons you just listed. I felt like I was writing my chapters for you as opposed to having some vague image of a someday reader in mind as I typed. I giggled out loud when I wrote lines I thought would make you laugh.  *I mean, I didn’t have low expectations, I just didn’t have any expectations because I couldn’t quite picture how co-writing a book with someone would work. 

Me neither! So, what was your least favorite?

Gail: How fast you write! Hahaha! And actually, that was a good thing because it kept me on my toes. I tend to procrastinate when I'm writing alone, and knowing that you were waiting kept me moving along. Okay, your turn…

Jen: The funny thing is that I was only writing fast because I was terrified of being the one holding up the timeline. Left to my own devices, I’m really lazy. I’m pretty sure I invented binge-watching… I would say my least favorite was falling behind on Game of Thrones. Just kidding. It was probably how long copy edits take when two people need to weigh in on every sign-off. But that’s just being nit-picky.

Okay, Gail, here’s where I put you on the spot: what is your favorite scene in the book?

Gail: The Dread Pirate scene, hands-down. It makes me laugh, every single time. I feel like we should get matching costumes, complete with stuffed parrot, and wear them to an event some time and talk like Becca. People would come that, right?

Jen: Um… yes? Yes! Of course the two of us in pleather pants would be a draw? Or perhaps a vine that goes viral, one or the other. I loved that you picked a scene I wrote because my favorite is a scene you wrote. Well, actually a slew of scenes that feature the funniest characters of all time, Bubby (Lauren’s crazy—and desperate to be hip—grandmother). I think I literally rubbed my hands together in anticipation any time she made an appearance on the page.

Which of our characters would you want with you in the event of a Zombie Apocalypse?

Gail: Hmmm... I'm going with Lauren, because while I'm freaking out, I feel like she'd find a way to outsmart them. You?

Jen: Easy peasy. Bubby. Did I mention I love Bubby. She’d kill me with laughter way before the zombies got to me. I’d rather go out that way any day!

Zombies, pleather pants, and pirate talk- I'd sat this has been a successful interview! We'd love for you to celebrate You're Invited's release with us this week. Check back for more fun!

Four best friends start a party-planning business in this fresh, funny tween novel from the authors of At Your Service and Breaking the Ice.

Twelve-year-old Sadie loves helping her mom with her wedding planning business, and with Sadie’s mad organizational skills, she’s a natural! That’s why it’s so devastating when her mother “fires” her after a Little Mermaid–themed wedding goes awry.

Enter Sadie’s best friends: sporty Vi, ace student Lauren, and boy-crazy Becca. The girls decide that in order to get Sadie’s mom to reconsider, they have to make her see how amazing Sadie is at party planning. Except no one’s gonna hire a twelve-year-old to plan a wedding. A birthday party, though? Definite possibility.

Before long, RSVP—your one-stop shop for the most creative parties in town—is born. Of course, Sadie can’t wait to prove herself to her mom, but the other girls also have their reasons for enlisting: Vi has her eye on the perfect gift for her hardworking dad, and Becca’s all aflush at the thought of connecting with Ryan, the new Irish cutie in town. And though Lauren thinks she’s too busy with summer studies to “officially” join, she’s willing to help out in any way she can.

But in this particular party-planning business, nothing goes according to plan! Sadie’s mom is a perpetual no-show, Vi’s archrival is dead set on ruining her summer, Becca can’t seem to get Ryan to glance in her direction, and Lauren keeps choosing studying over her friends. Is the girls’ friendship strong enough to survive a business? Or does RSVP spell the end of these BFFs?