Life, Words & Rock 'n' Roll

Love from the West Coast!

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 06:11:04 GMT

Hi guys, just a real quick note. It has been a whirlwind so far. This is my first night with internet access, and we just drove up PCH from LA to Monterey and tomorrow is onward to San Francisco so I just want to get some sleep. I prolly won't get to do a real update for another week until I get home from Chicago, and I'm not gonna choose the Laura Wiess winner til then either, so feel free to comment on my last blog to enter that contest.

Okay highlights with detail later:

July 12: Arrive in LA, check into our lovely hotel in Beverly Hills, take a cab to Book Soup on Sunset where I finally meet one of my favorite people on earth in person, Alexa Young! The event was amazing and the woman who ran it, Julia at Book Soup was soooooooooo cool!

July 13: Wake up to the most beautiful present from my boyfriend, a diamond promise ring. So so so pretty. So over the moon happy. Yeah, I know it's old fashioned, promise ring before engagement ring and all that, but that is our speed and I couldn't be happier. I promise pics.

The Rock N Read. The rockers and readers and the staff at Virgin=awesome. Not to mention the cool girls whose books I signed :)

July 14: Meetings. Mulholland Drive. La Brea tar pits. Spaceland with Anna and Adam

July 15: Beach day. Santa Monica. Venice. Griffith Observatory.

July 16: Drive up 1. Incredible. Signing with Kelly= awesome and full of laughs.

Thank you to all you lovelies who have wished me happy birthday and wished me well on my book release. It means the world to me. And it has been so amazing meeting people so far like Stephanie who came to my Book Soup reading and all the authors at Rock N Read and especially Alexa Young who I did both my LA events and Kelly Parra who I did a signing with tonight. Those ladies are both so amazingly awesome I can't begin to tell you!!! And I have in my possession a signed copy of FRENEMIES by Alexa and a signed ARC of INVISIBLE TOUCH that will be some of the prizes in my TOUR CONTEST this month, so be sure to check that out.

And if you can make it, come to my remaining events okay! I promise to reply to comments and friend requests and return emails as soon as I can!!!! xoxoxo

July 17th- 6:30 PM, InsideStoryTime Reading Series, Edinburgh Castle Pub, 950 Geary Street, San Francisco, CA

$3-$5 sliding scale
punk-themed readings from local musicians, zinesters, and authors, including
* pop-punk novelist FRANK PORTMAN (King Dork) aka Dr. Frank
* debut novelist STEPHANIE KUEHNERT (I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone)
* zinester-drummer ERICK LYLE (On the Lower Frequencies) aka Iggy Scam
* Dwarves frontman and hardcore novelist BLAG DAHLIA (Nina)
* zinester-literary-luminary AMMI EMERGENCY
* guest MC punk-scene-oral-chronicler JACK BOULWARE

July 18th- 7 PM, Books Inc, Opera Plaza, 601 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA
Reading, Signing and Discussion!

July 22nd- 7 PM, Bailey/Coy Books, 414 Broadway Avenue E. Seattle, WA
Reading, signing, and discussion with me and Corrina Wycoff, author of O Street.

Women Who Rock: Laura Wiess, TOUR, and NEW CONTEST!!!!!!

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:44:50 GMT

Ah, my release party last night at the Beacon was crazy! We sold out of books before everyone had a chance to buy one!!!! 55 books sold in about 45 minutes!! Very cool, but of course I feel awful for folks that didn't get a chance to buy one. We should have brought more books! It was also so crazy hectic that I forgot to have anyone take pics with my camera :( But I know some friend brought cameras, so I hope to have photos to share with everyone when I get back! I read from behind the bar to a crowd of 60 or so people. Everyone loved it and laughed hard, even my boyfriend's dad, who is a total beer drinking NASCAR dude and I thought might be bored as hell, but as it turns out he loved it best! We also blared the soundtrack on the jukebox and I talked to as many people as humanly possible. Went home around 11:30 totally wiped. Trying to regain strength as I pack and prepare for tour. But I will tell you about tour, a tour-related contest and give you links to other interviews with me on the internet after today's guest since I don't want you to have to read through all the details to get to her interview.

But before I introduce you to Laura Wiess, the winner of Jolene Siana's Go Ask Ogre is The Book Muncher!!!! Book Muncher, since I am headed out on tour, I need you to directly email Jolene at goaskogre at hotmail dot com with your address!

Okay, now meet our final woman who rocks of the week, Laura Wiess, author of SUCH A PRETTY GIRL and LEFTOVERS.

Neither of these books are about music, but I think Laura rocks because she takes on such difficult issues and writes about them with such honesty, beauty, and heart in her books. So I invited her to finish off our week. It also seems fitting because her book SUCH A PRETTY GIRL was the first MTV Book I ever read. When I signed my contract with them, my agent told me that my editor had also worked on SUCH A PRETTY GIRL and that I should read it because she thought I would love it. I totally swooned over it. And when I went to meet my editor last fall, she was kind enough to give me an ARC of LEFTOVERS which I devoured on the plane home!
Laura, Leftovers and Such a Pretty Girl are two of my favorite books in the world. Can you tell my readers a little bit about them?

Laura: Sure, Stephanie and thanks so much. In Such a Pretty Girl, a convicted sexual offender is released early from prison and returns home to his family and the daughter he abused. It's a thriller, fast-paced and kind of raw, told from the daughter Meredith's point of view. She was promised nine years of safety but only got three before he was released, and she finds she'll do almost anything to stop him from abusing her again. It's a story of tangled love, strength, survival and, I think, hope in the darkest hour.

Leftovers is the story of Ardith and Blair, two best friends whose social, love and family lives are disintegrating all around them, how their anger manifests and the dark choice they make to regain control when someone they love is threatened.

What you are working on now?

Laura: My next book is a dark and pretty twisted interwoven love story due out with MTV Books in 2009. As of now, it's tentatively titled A Dark Autumn Sky but that may change.

And in the spirit of Women Who Rock week, will you share your most rock 'n' roll memory? This could be anything from a favorite concert to a moment where you felt like you were living like a rock star.

Laura: One of my old school friends Tom does sound around the country for a variety of bands and invited me to hang out with him a couple of times down at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park while he worked. It was a blast and a whole different perspective being up on the side of the stage while the bands were playing and the audience was going wild. I loved it. (And if you're out there, Tom, call me, will you? It's been way too long.)

Thanks so much for inviting me over, Stephanie. I really enjoyed I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone and can't say enough good things about it. It should come with a warning label that says once you start reading, it's impossible to put down!

Aww thanks, Laura! Obviously I felt the same way about Leftovers and lucky for all my readers, Laura is giving out a signed copy of Leftovers! Enter by leaving a comment on this blog. Now unlike the other contests, I am not entirely sure when this will end. I may be able to blog in a couple days, I may not be able to blog until I get back on the 25th. We'll see! (I'm pretty sure I will be able to on the 16th though, that's when I'm in the hotel with the free Wi-Fi!!! So look for an entry then.) But next time I blog, I'll pick a winner.

While I'm gone you'll have time to catch up with all my guest blogs and interviews. Today I've been interviewed by And Another Book Read. Tasha asked some great questions, so be sure to read it! Then don't forgot to read Book Chic's interview with me from yesterday and check his blog tomorrow for my guest blog about why I heart Degrassi*grins* and enter his contest for a signed copy of IWBYJR that runs til the 25th. I've also got a guest blog at Teen Book Review today (this is the one that was gonna post on Weds) about road trips and why I right about running away and I want to definitely clarify that I am not in anyway glamorizing running away. It's a scary, sad thing and both my books address that. My road trip story is a very personal one though, so check it out. You can also win a signed copy of IWBYJR by commenting there! Though of course I won't be able to send it out til after tour....

Now speaking of tour, here is all my tour info. If you already know I'm not touring near you, you skip over the tour details, but you'll want to read the end of the blog where I announce my big tour contest!

July 12th- 5 pm, Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA

Reading, signing, and discussion with Alexa Young, author of Frenemies.

July 13th- 3 pm ROCK 'N' READ, Virgin Megastore Hollywood and Highland, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA

A literary lollapalooza with great L.A. bands and authors. Click the banner to find out more!

July 16th- 7 pm, Borders Express, 222 Del Monte Shopping Center, Monterey, CA

July 17th- 6:30 PM, InsideStoryTime Reading Series, Edinburgh Castle Pub, 950 Geary Street, San Francisco, CA

TOUR CONTEST!!!!!

You didn't think I'd leave you hanging without a contest while I'm away did you? Well, since I can't visit everywhere, but I want to see IWBYJR everywhere, the contest is simple. Take a picture of IWBYJR in your neck of the woods and email it to me at stephanie at stephaniekuehnert dot com along with a little note stating one thing that you did to get the word out about the book. "Getting the word out" could mean posting a banner on your myspace or telling your local bookstore or librarian about the book or even just telling your best friend. And the photo could be a shot of you preparing to buy the book in your local bookstore, it could be the book in the middle of your bedroom or even better your band practice, it could be you with the book on vacation, or maybe since I do love animals so much, a picture of the book with your pet. Whatever you do: be creative!!!!! I will choose the most creative photos as my winners! And as for the prize? I will be picking up cool prizes while I'm on tour. Books signed by authors I meet while I'm there, maybe some other interesting things that I come across. There will be at least five prizes, maybe more, and I know for sure that one of those prizes will be a signed ARC of Kelly Parra's upcoming novel INVISIBLE TOUCH!!!! That will likely be the grand prize. Deadline to send in your photos is Friday August 8th!!!!

And if you know what is best about this contest? You can totally double dip and send your photo to the Shooting Stars Magazine contest as well. Because over there they are asking for you to send proof of purchasing IWBYJR (like a photo!) by July 30th and then you are entered to win $130 in gift cards!!!!!!!

So yeah, $130 in gift cards, plus a signed book or something cool from my tour? Are you excited??? Then get creative and enter! (please note, I prolly won't be able to email every person back to confirm receipt of the photo, but as long as it doesn't bounce back, I got it!)

I hope that the Laura Wiess contest plus my new contest gives you plenty to do while I'm off on tour. I promise to blog when I can and you can expect a full recap with photos when I get back on the 25th. And if you can come to any of my readings, please do!!! I'm so scared that I'll go to strange cities and no one will show and the book store people will be mad at me for wasting their time :( So come and bring your friends or send your friends if you can't go and absolutely come up and introduce yourself to me. I want to meet you!

Have fun while I'm gone everyone!

Women Who Rock Day Four: Jolene Siana!

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:43:44 GMT

Whew, my crazy week keeps chugging along. Last night was doubly exciting because the absolutely amazing Lauren from Shooting Stars Magazine set it up so that I could do a phone interview with Mike Ness from Social Distortion for Shooting Stars!!!! Yeah it might be the coolest thing anyone has ever done for me... I feel like I should travel to where Lauren lives just to hug her! It gotta kinda pushed back though so I literally did the interview with Mike in the car on the way to my reading (my mom was driving), but still it was the coolest thing in the world to talk on the phone with one of my heroes for fifteen minutes. We talked books, tattoos, cars, and of course shooting stars. So it's gonna be a must-read issue of Shooting Stars. But you'll have to wait cause I can't transcribe it til I get home from tour!

So then I had my debut reading at Women and Children First bookstore in Chicago. This is the feminist bookstore my mother took me to for my sixteenth birthday, the ultimate gift for a Riot Grrrl and I've loved that store ever since. It was the perfect place to have my debut. And lots of people came! Strangers even! That was the most exciting part, especially the very sweet Maureen who was really emotional about the book and recommended this awesome band, Mr. Airplane Man to me. Also, this is pretty insane, they sold out of books! No stock for me to sign! I guess that just means I'll have to go back later ;) Only thing is we forgot to take pictures. *sigh* oh well. There will be pictures tonight at Beacon for sure. (101 Circle in Forest Park, if you are over 21 come party with me from 7 pm to ???)

I did promise you pink bangs photos though and you will find those along with all you ever wanted to know about my fashion sense on Melissa Walker's blog today. Some other links you might want to check out include an interview with me on the First Book Blog where you get to hear all about my cats, Nick Belardes' unique take on IWBYJR in this review, And Another Book Read's review, and Chelsie's review. Also, keep visiting Book Chic! Tonight, he'll post an interview with me and he's got an ongoing contest!

Now it is time to announce the winner of the fabulous Tamra Spivey's painting!!! People wanted this one really bad, but the random number chose.... *drumroll* Mrs. Rocker Grrrl on myspace as the winner of the painting!!!! Please myspace message me with your address so I can pass it on to Tamra!

Today's guest is someone I am so unbelievably excited about: Jolene Siana, author of Go Ask Ogre: Letters from a Deathrock Cutter! I

t's suitable that Jolene is coming to visit me here today and I am going to visit Melissa Walker because I met (in the online sense) Jolene through Melissa. I'm currently reading Go Ask Ogre and I feel very close to it because I was a teenage Skinny Puppy fan as well and totally had my goth/deathrock phase, and yes, I grappled with self-injury as a teen, too, so a lot of Jolene's emotions resonate so deeply with me. But I'll just let Jolene speak for herself because she did a great interview! Here she is as a teen with Milo of the Descendants (how freakin' cool is that!!!):

Go Ask Ogre is one of the most unique, intense, and not to mention beautifully designed books I've read in awhile. Can you tell us a little bit about it?

Jolene: Well…when I was a teenager I began writing letters to Ogre (Kevin Ogilvie) from the band Skinny Puppy. I was drawn to him for various reasons. He looked interesting to me. I loved their music and his lyrics seemed to reflect what I was going through at the time. I was very depressed as I had lost my grandparents, parted ways with my best friend and broke up with my boyfriend all within a year. The letters that I wrote detailed everything from general adolescent frustration to my self-injury. I also used to decorate the envelopes and stationary because I thought that it would capture his attention but I honestly didn’t expect a reply. He did respond and I met him that year. He told me that he’d be my friend and encouraged my writing. I wrote to him over several years and would see him when he toured. He always treated me so kindly and was very brotherly and encouraging. He told me that one day he would return my letters and over a decade later he proved true to his word. He lost just about everything in his apartment but he held on to my letters, which is just so special to me.

When I got the letters back a friend of mine suggested that I should write a book and initially I was opposed to it. Not too many people knew that I had been a cutter or that my mother had been abusive to me. The material itself, although I’m really glad that I did write it, was pretty heavy. I definitely crossed some boundaries with my need for attention but I truly believe that he saw the bigger picture and knew that by writing things down, it was helping me to work through my issues. I spoke to Ogre about publishing the letters and he was very supportive. Even thought the book is more about me rather than Ogre, I would not have written it without his approval and blessing.

What you are working on now?

Jolene: I’m in the middle of shopping my book, “Do You Think He Likes Me?” It’s a prequel (more or less) to Go Ask Ogre. It’s about romantic relationships of someone who grew up in a fatherless home. It’s visual as well with artwork and illustrations and music also plays an important part as the backdrop. Music has always been so important to me.

And in the spirit of Women Who Rock week, will you share your most rock 'n' roll memory? This could be anything from a favorite concert to a moment where you felt like you were living like a rock star.

Jolene: In addition to writing to Ogre, I also wrote a handful of letters to Milo Aukerman of the Descendents. I got to spend some time with the band because during one of their stops they stayed at my friends house for the weekend. They were all so cool and fun to hang out with. I had the biggest crush on Milo. Not only was he this charismatic punk rock singer but he was just about to go back to school to study biochemistry and I totally admired him. I would tell him about growing up Toledo, Ohio and he would tell me that I had my whole life ahead of me and that I should definitely go to art school or do something creative.

It was about a year later when they toured again and actually played a show in Toledo. He was sitting on the back patio writing out the set list and as I walked by I asked him if they could play the song, “Hope”. During the show I was totally in shock when Milo announced the audience, “This song’s for Jolene”. It videotaped and you can see me freaking out off to the side. Me, with my black puffy hair looking at my friend with her platinum puffy hair saying, “Oh my god!!!” I was super thrilled because I was new to the Toledo scene and I felt like this made me look super cool in front of my punk rock peers!

Thanks to Jolene for sharing this insanely cool story! And Jolene is also giving away a copy of Go Ask Ogre!!!! Believe me, you want this book. So leave a comment between now and noon-ish tomorrow to enter!!!

Women Who Rock Celebration Day Three: Tamra Spivey of Lucid Nation!

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:59:42 GMT

Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy release day. (I'm kind overwhelmed right now, so please excuse my tardiness on personally replying to myspace messages and emails and such.) Your support really, sincerely means the world to me. Hearing from people who are excited about the book or who have already read it is probably the most thrilling thing on earth!

My friends and family made it a totally amazing day yesterday, too. My amazing CP Vanessa sent me flowers all the way from Australia (well the flowers prolly came from the US, but the fact that she did that!!!). At dinner with my dearests last night, Amber and Ryan brought me my favorite champagne and Katie C. brought me beautiful Irises. My best friend in the world Katie works at the restaurant we ate at (Gaetano's, hands down the best restaurant in Forest Park and one of the very best in all of Chicago IMHO) and she asked Gaetano to specially prepare something vegan for me and it was some of the best food I've had in my entire life and then for some reason it was not on the bill.... Um yeah did I mention that Katie is my best friend in the world? After dinner we stopped by the Beacon where my big release party will be held tomorrow and there were PBR banners all over the place announcing my book release. And there was an extra they let me have, which is really about as cool as it gets. It's gonna make my basement wall look awesome. I promise pictures of it after the Beacon party. And yes, I know, I owe you a pink hair pic. You will get it tomorrow when I guest blog over at Melissa Walker's blog!

Today I am visiting over at Teen Book Review blog. Again it is not up quite yet as I post this, but may be when you read this and either way you should check back for it because I wrote a very personal blog about road trips and runaways. Probably the guest blog that is closest to my heart this week. Oh and as extra incentive, she'll be giving away a signed copy of IWBYJR! Of course you also still have a chance to win IWBYJR at Jeri Smith-Ready's blog until 9 pm EST tonight. And Vanessa announced her winner today, so get over there.

But I also have a winner to announce. The winner of The Gits Movie DVD and poster is..... Brimfire from LiveJournal!!! Brimfire, please message me on LJ or email me at stephanie at stephaniekuehnert dot com with your addy, so I can pass it on to Jessy.

Now the amazing WOMAN WHO ROCKS that I'm interviewing today was also involved with The Gits Movie as a producer. TAMRA SPIVEY, of the band LUCID NATION has been one of my role models since I was sixteen and I met her on a Riot Grrrl forum on AOL in 1995.

I was going through a very rough time back then and her words of advice and wisdom were some of the best I got and her brilliant music has been soothing my soul (soothing in that way that getting worked up sometimes soothes) for years. This weekend on my birthday, July 13, a dream come true thing is going to happen. Not only will I finally meet Tamra in person. I get to read at an event where Lucid Nation will be playing (headlining, really, though we are trying to be very egalitarian about the whole thing and not call anyone the headliner). The event, of course, is ROCK 'N' READ and I hope that if you are in Hollywood you will come out and listen to Tamra, me , and a bunch of other great folks.

But today, Tamra is here to do an interview:
Tamra, as you know I've been a huge fan of your band Lucid Nation since the mid-nineties. I want everyone to discover your music. You do an amazing thing offering downloads of your music for free. Where can people download your songs and which songs would you suggest they check out first?

Tamra: I can never predict what songs people will like. A good place to start is our MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/lucidnation
For the more daring there's the hundred song march an archive of all our songs with stories, we're improving it but right now it's a logistical nightmare, still, you can download all our songs free.

What are you up to lately? Anything new with Lucid Nation or any other amazing projects we should know about?

Tamra: We just recorded Second Skin with Steve Moriarty in honor of The Gits movie release, a documentary I associate produced. We've also got 26 new songs we'll be finishing once we tart them up then mix and master them.

Tell us about your ultimate rock 'n' roll moment. This could be a concert your performed, one you went to, a moment where you felt like you made the biggest impact as the musician, or just the time you just really felt like a rock star.

Tamra: My ultimate rock and roll moment was probably in Boston on a national tour when I first noticed the audience singing my songs with me. I don't ever feel like a rock star. Rock star is about fame. Artists rarely survive fame. I just want to make art not bore.

Thank you for visiting me, Tamra!!! And I urge everyone to go to Lucid Nation's myspace page and listen to their version of "Second Skin." It's sooooo good and I made it my profile song. Tamra is doing perhaps the most unique contest of the week (not that I would expect anything less from her) and she is giving one of her paintings to a lucky winner. Seriously, how cool is that? I'm gonna be jealous. So enter to win (unless you won something already this week) by leaving a comment before noon-ish tomorrow.

Okay, two last things. First of all, I have to say Happy Birthday to a woman who rocks that has long inspired me, Ms. Courtney Love. Secondly, I'm celebrating my book release tonight at one of my favorite book stores in Chicago, Women & Children First. I'll be there at 7:30. Come out if you can!

IWBYJR release day and Women Who Rock featuring Jessy Bender!

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:55:42 GMT

So, it's release day. I wish I could tell you that it has been nice, chill, and laid back, but there is a reason that I am over three hours late posting this blog. Basically I'm running around like crazy. But one stop involved adding pink to my hair which was exciting (and I promise there will be pictures later) and another stop involved seeing this in my hometown Borders:

Yeah that was pretty cool.

But before we get any further into today's blog, it's time to announce that the winner of Hillary Carlip's prizes is *drumroll*..... Chelsie (aka. Mz. Chelsie from myspace).

And Chelsie, I know I have your address somewhere, but if you can be a doll and email or message it to me so I can pass it on to Hillary I would really appreciate it. Also, Chelsie, you can continue to comment this week, but you won't be eligible for any more prizes this week.

Before I get into the introduction of today's guest, I just wanted to let you know about a few different places where I'll be in cyberspace today:

I did an interview over at the amazing Jeri Smith-Ready's blog and if you comment there by 9 pm EST on July 10th, you'll have a chance to win a signed copy of I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE.

You also have your last chance to comment on my amazing CP Vanessa's blog today and win a signed copy of IWBYJR.

And you are going to want to hang out with Book Chic this week. He'll be posting a review and mini-interview tonight, a larger interview on Thursday, and a guest blog on Saturday and of course, he's having a contest for a signed copy of IWBYJR! That contest will be running til I come back from tour on July 25th!

I also did a really great interview with Hope's Blog that should be posting later today, so go check that out! And I'm continuing to visit with the Chicago Literary Examiner where you can hear about the rest of my plans for today.

Oh yeah and I was also on Chicago Public Radio this morning, but for those of you non-Chicagoans or folks who were not up early enough to catch it. You can hear it here!

Phew! Yeah a lot going on as you can see! But now back to WOMEN WHO ROCK!

I'm thrilled to introduced Jessica Bender, producer of The Gits Movie, which shares its DVD release day with IWBYJR (in other words it is available today, so go order it!!!) The Gits is an undefinable band. They are not just a punk band, not just a band from Seattle during the grunge era, not just a band with a chick singer. I've been in love with this band since the early 90s and Mia Zapata's bluesy voice is the voice I heard most in my head when I was writing my main character Emily Black. I wish that Mia was around for me to interview today and especially for me to give the book to, but back in 1993, she was brutally raped and murdered. The Gits Movie is a long-needed documentary that captures the amazing talent of Mia and The Gits. I saw the Chicago premiere last night at Delilah's, a bar, where everyone was somber and completely enraptured by this film and the music of The Gits. Here's the trailer for your viewing pleasure:

Check out this video: The Gits Movie- NEW TRAILER!!!

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And now to talk a little bit more about the movie and herself, Jessica Bender!

Your documentary, which is out on DVD today, is about a band that has long been very close to my heart. Can you tell us all about The Gits Movie and why you decided to be involved with the making of this movie?

Jessica: The Gits is the story of the beloved Seattle band that reached great heights in the early 90's, with fervor. Led by a fiery Lead vocalist Mia Zapata. They were just offered a record deal from Atlantic records. Mia died walking home at night. Taken, strangled and brutalized. She is still with us 15 years after her death, her voice is getting louder. It was her vocals with the music that got me standing at attention. Learning about her death angered me and broke my heart. We felt the story of this amazing woman and this amazing band needed to be heard.

What is the next big project for Jessy Bender?
Jessica: I'm not sure what is next. This has been all consuming. So many hoops to jump through and many opportunities to slip. I would like to do a shorter project that invokes thought and change in the viewer. So much that their life is altered forever.

The theme this week is "Women Who Rock," can you tell us about your most rock 'n' roll moment? This could be anything from your favorite concert to a moment where you felt like a rock star.

Jessica: I would never had expected it, because I hang around stars all day long working as a sound technician in Hollywood. My most recent rockstar moment (besides meeting The Gits) was meeting Joan Jett. She floored me with her rockstar persona. She was so bad ass my heart raced the whole time we interviewed her. I also felt the rockstar vibe when working with David Bowie, he is insanely cool.

Thanks so much for visiting us today, Jessy! You truly are a woman who rocks as is Mia! Now Jessy has also graciously offered up a copy of The Gits Movie DVD and a signed movie poster as our prize today. Trust me, whether or not you have heard the Gits, you will be moved by this movie. My boyfriend came away from the showing last night a Gits fan and we blasted their music all the way home. So you will want to enter this contest by posting a comment sometime before 1ish tomorrow! And in the meantime, go visit thegitsmovie.com to learn more about this amazing project!

Kicking off the Women Who Rock cyber party with HILLARY CARLIP!!!!

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:06:53 GMT

It's party time!!!! I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE officially comes out tomorrow (though it has already been spotted on amazon and in some bookstores....), and since it is my tribute to all the female rockers that have inspired me, I am spending the whole week celebrating WOMEN WHO ROCK! I've got some great guest lined up-- women who rock the literary, music and film worlds! These are all women who have projects that I adore and I wanted to give you a chance to learn all about them. So they are gonna answer some questions and give away fabulous prizes!

You can win the prizes simply by leaving a comment. I'll choose a winner using a random number generator when posting the next day's blog, which should be between noon and 1 pm CST every day. So be sure to check out the blog every day to see if you've won and to hear about more amazing WOMEN WHO ROCK.

I will also update you every day about where I'm guestblogging or being interviewed or taking questions or giving out signed copies of I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE! So before I introduce our guest of the day, let me get that info out of the way:

I'm doing a week-long interview ending 7/10 with the Chicago Literary Examiner. This is particularly cool because if you leave a question for me in the comments, chances are great that Rob (who runs CLE) will choose your question to ask me the next day!

I'm also visiting my critique partner, Vanessa Barneveld's blog where she did an in-depth interview with me about everything from publishing myth-busting to choosing stars to play my characters in a movie. I'm also taking reader questions over there and will give out a signed copy of IWBYJR to a commenter chosen at random tomorrow (7/8). In addition, Vanessa will send the winner chocolate! A free book and free Aussie chocolate? Trust me it doesn't get much better than that!

Now, without further adieu, I would like to introduce our WOMEN WHO ROCK guest of the day: Hillary Carlip!!!!!

Now this isn't just Hillary's latest, uproariously funny book that you are seeing pictured here. All three of the people on the cover are Hillary... Yeah, I'll let her explain...

Hillary, I am so grateful to have you kick off my week-long cyber book release party because not only do you fit the "Women Who Rock" theme to a tee, you have also been my mentor since I was sixteen years old and I discovered your book GIRL POWER, which was totally my bible as a teenage feminist. You also gave me my first real publication credit when you featured my 'zine Hospital Gown in your book ZINE SCENE and you gave me another amazing shot when you published my essay on your amazing essay site www.freshyarn.com. Your memoir QUEEN OF THE ODDBALLS is one of the most fun and visually interesting books of its kind. And then your most recent book A LA CART: THE SECRET LIVES OF GROCERY SHOPPERS is one of the most hilarious and unique books out there. I can't even describe it. Can you please tell everyone about it?

Hillary: Aw, shucks… thanks so much for the shout-out!

I’ve been collecting found shopping lists for years and years. I’m totally fascinated with these snapshot scraps of human nature. It’s amazing how much you can tell about someone from their shopping list -- the items to buy, the handwriting, the type of paper, and even the misspellings (“Aunt Spray”!).

I always imagined the lives of these people who left behind their lists and in A la Cart, I took it a step further by becoming them. I was photographed as 26 shoppers who vary in age, gender, ethnicity—even facial hairstyles. Then I wrote stories about each one, delving into their lives.

Seeing as your book ideas are about as creative as they come, I'm dying to know, what's next for Hillary Carlip?

Hillary: Honestly, I’m not sure. The thing I’ve done all my life, which is chronicled in my memoir, Queen of the Oddballs: And Other True Stories from a Life Unaccording to Plan, and is really reflected in the subtitle, is everything unaccording to plan. I’ve always let myself be guided, and I remain open to what’s next no matter how much of a left turn it seems to be. I’m still in the throes of promoting A la Cart, which just came out a few months ago, so once I come up for air, I’m excited to see what I’ll be led to next!

Now as anyone who's read QUEEN OF THE ODDBALLS knows you've juggled, eaten fire, you've baked bread for Carly Simon, you've stalked Carole King, you formed an all-girl, ex-con band, Angel and the Reruns, and you've been on Oprah, so Hillary, dare I ask, what was your biggest, best, favorite rock 'n' roll moment (definition of rock 'n' roll moment can mean anything from a favorite concert to a time when you felt like a rock star)?

Hillary: I gotta say I’ve had a lot of them but what comes to mind was when I had my band Angel and the Reruns. A song of mine, “Buffy Come Back,” had started getting a lot of airplay on KROQ, the best indie-type station in LA at the time for discovering (and making!) alternative artists. But one day I was driving in my car, and had another more mainstream radio station playing, and all of a sudden my song came on. It was so surreal to be driving on the legendary Sunset Strip, and hear myself on the radio! I was so excited and no one was there to share it with except my dog. So I started screaming and she started howling and, well, that was quite a crazy rock star moment for me.

I’m SOOOooOO excited for your book and so happy to be here celebrating its release!! In honor of it, I’m giving away a signed copy of my new book, A la Cart: The Secret Lives of Grocery Shoppers, AND a signed compilation CD from Angel and the Reruns!

Wow, thanks, Hillary!!!

Did you hear that guys? A chance to win an amazing, hilarious book and a great CD of catchy, fun songs, both signed? Start commenting so you have a chance to win. Comment about anything from how cool Hillary obviously is to shopping lists you may have found or share your oddball moments. You have until Noon CST tomorrow (7/8) to enter to win.

In case you want to learn more about Hillary, you can visit her on myspace at: http://www.myspace.com/queenoftheoddballs or at http://www.hillarycarlip.com/. You can even check out Angel and the Reruns on myspace to get pumped about potentially winning the CD: http://www.myspace.com/angelandthereruns.

You're invited to the rockingest party on the web!

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 23:14:00 GMT

Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone is having a great time this weekend, and I wanted to let you know that the partying doesn't have to end on Monday. You're invited to a week-long, hard-rocking party right here to celebrate the release of my debut novel I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE (which apparently is already out in bookstores everywhere but officially comes out on July 8th!). There will be cool guests and great prizes and well, this invite pretty much says it all:

Of course, I will also still be visiting other places across cyberspace next week as well and will be giving you links to join me. Today, I stopped by Young Adult Enchanting Reviews to talk about my obsession with birthdays and astrology and how I use them in my writing. You'll learn fun facts about me, so go check it out!

And please remember to stop by the Chicago Literary Examiner and ask me your burning questions. So far no one has asked questions so there is a good chance yours will be chosen!

IWBYJR for the UK, Orange Alerts, the LA Times, and more

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:02:57 GMT

*Singing to the tune of "Anarchy in the UK"* "IWBYJR for the UK! It's coming sometime and maybe..." Umm, yeah, I know I'm a huge dork, but I had to do it. And there is no maybe about it. I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE will officially be released in the UK on September 15th! Check it out on amazon.co.uk! Now it's not gonna have a new cover or new edition or anything, it's just the US edition distributed through Simon & Schuster UK. But that means you UK folks will be able to find it in bookstores and not have to pay import prices or expensive overseas shipping. Also, I'm finding it super weird that the US IWBYJR comes out 5 days before my birthday and the UK IWBYJR comes out 5 days before my brother's birthday. Anyone else find that weird? And as for the rest of the world, we're working on getting you your editions! I promise! Hopefully it will do well in the US and UK and publishers in other countries will want to put it out!

So I'm continuing to wander around the web and answer questions and today I'm at the fabulous Chicago blog What to Wear During An Orange Alert answering some of the best questions I've got so far (he was the first person to ask what the influence of the movie Suburbia was on my novel BALLADS OF SUBURBIA, which I was highly excited to answer as well as questions about the Chicago lit scene), so please go check it out!

Then, the Chicago Literary Scene Examiner is posting an interview question with me (another good one, about where I got the idea for Emily's hang out in IWBYJR River's Edge) and then offering you, the readers the opportunity to ask your own questions! We'll be doing this for a week, picking a question for me to answer from blog comments. So if there is something you have a burning desire to know, please go ask. Here is the link for Day 1!

And I promise to calm down with the review links because it really does seem like shameless self promotion and patting myself on the back, so I won't share every single one, but I got a really really big one today. The LA Times reviewed my book!!!! This is a pretty big deal because they are well known for their reviews and, well, I'm not from LA! It's also a good a review! You can read it here, but I'll warn you now that there is what I would consider a spoiler in there. You see even though I reveal the real reason why Emily's mom left in the middle of the book, I still want it to be a surprise for readers up until that point, but it is discussed in this review. If you don't care about spoilers, please by all means, read away, I'm extremely proud! If you do care about spoilers, skip the section labeled "An Ugly Truth" or I can just tell you the best quotes from the review which are: "It's an empowering new twist on a girl's coming of age..." and "Kuehnert closes out "I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone" like a poignant ballad..." and "As a fictive artifact of an aggressive, didactic genre in which shades of gray are often obliterated by black and white beats of rage, Kuehnert emerges as a true subversive -- retaining her cred while expanding the form."

And there is one other review I wanted to share with you that comes from Carol because it was so sweet. You can check it out here. Okay, seriously I'll stop with that now.

On the personal front, today was easier than the last few days. It was the first morning that I woke up and didn't immediately feel this weight of sadness crushing my heart and lasting all day long. Now the sadness comes in waves. Healing begins. I finally stopped listening to Automatic for the People, too.

There's a new Alkaline Trio album out, Agony and Irony, so I listened to that today. It's pretty good. Not to be one of those "they were better in the good ol' days" people because I didn't listen to Alkaline Trio in the good ol' days (though I was totally into Slapstick in their heyday and saw them at the Fireside, which gives me cred, right?) my boyfriend got me into them when we met because they are one of his favorite bands. However, the first albums he gave me were the self-titled, Goddamnit! and Maybe I'll Catch Fire because he liked those best. I also like those best. I think Alkaline Trio might be aware that Goddamnit! is their best album hence the recent re-issue. But anyway this new album is clearly not as good as those albums, but it was a nice escape for me mostly... except the songs about death. Should have expected those. But the reason I like the older stuff better is I think they are lyrically stronger and I just really do like stuff that sounds more raw. *Shrugs* I guess I usually am one of those they were better in the good ol' days people. These new songs are really catchy though. I've had "Help Me" and "Love, Love, Kiss, Kiss" stuck in my head all day.

Okay, enough of the random music review, I'm babbling...

Two great guest blogs!

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:30:25 GMT

I just want to say thank you again to everyone who has been supportive over the last week about losing my friend Marcel. Yesterday was the funeral and a memorial. The ritual definitely helped some as did seeing old friends and meeting new people who really loved Marcel. Of course I can’t say it fixed me. I still feel like I’m walking around with a huge gaping hole inside of me and my heart literally aches. But I have to keep moving forward despite feeling like a total zombie at times.

There are things to share though, so I shall share them.

First off, I believe I told you that I was very excited to be invited to guest blog at Teen Fiction Café. Well, today I posted my first post. Go check it out because at the bottom of my post, there’s a very special invitation to the cyber festivities I have planned for I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE release week.

Additionally, I did a guest blog on Megan’s blog as part of her “Authors in the Corner” feature. I wrote about the performance anxiety I had as a junior high theater geek and now with IWBYJR coming out. There is even a picture of me as a 13 year old Pink Lady! You will definitely want to see that, so go check it out!

Last, but not least, there is a review of IWBYJR/interview with me in this week’s issue of NewCity, a Chicago alt-weekly. You can read it online here.

So yeah, lots of stuff to keep you occupied while I continue to try to hold things together. Be well and enjoy these fun blogs!

Just when I needed a Shooting Star most...

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:21:49 GMT

The past few days have probably been the hardest in my life and I know today and tomorrow won’t be easy either, but lo and behold, an amazing gift from a shooting star….

Lauren at Shooting Stars Magazine put together an incredible surprise for me and told me about it just now, when I need it most. It brought real tears of joy to my eyes, breaking through the tears of sadness that have been clouding my eyes since Thursday.

She is running “Stephanie Kuehnert week” on the Shooting Stars Magazine blog this week! They’ve done four blogs so far as a part of it, including a great guest blog from Melissa Walker that made me smile because I loved Poison, too, and a cool song of the day from Tegan and Sara. Best of all, she and a bunch of other amazing bloggers put together an extremely cool, HUGE contest to celebrate the release of IWBYJR!

I knew nothing of this, had nothing to do with it, and seriously cannot express how grateful I am to the lovely, lovely bloggers who contributed to this and especially to Lauren. You all made a hard time easier. Thank you! I hope everyone will go check out the contest and party with Shooting Stars Magazine this week.

Again this means so much to me and thanks to all the lovely bloggers for making me smile today.

To Marcel

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 23:18:00 GMT

Note: This is long and I don't really expect anyone to read it, except maybe those closest to me and to Marcel. But I needed to do this, for me.

I think I'm finally ready to try to put this into words. Tomorrow I gather with the many others who love Marcel, some of whom I haven't seen in a long, long time and I only wish it were under better circumstances. Tomorrow begins the rituals of saying goodbye, the public ones. The last three days have been private, shared only with Katie and Polly from time to time. So now feels like the appropriate time to try to put my thoughts, memories, and feelings into some sort of order, to document them at least.

I guess will start by simply transcribing from my journal what I wrote soon after learning the news and adding to it so it makes more sense:

I walked 3 miles in forty-five minutes to get to the place that seemed best to remember you, the park where we first got to know each other. I listened to Automatic for the People because its the album we discussed in one of our first conversations. I cried while talking to my mom at the beginning of my walk and realized the one thing I forgot was Kleenex. I packed everything I could think of into my bag: journal, waterbottle, iPod, phone, wallet, photographs, even my tattoo cleaning stuff because even though logically I know I have a place to be at 7 o'clock I felt like I may never stop walking.

"Try Not to Breathe" made me cry really hard. "Everybody Hurts" which is supposed to be one of those sad songs made the tears stop, but I decided that just in case they started again, I should stop for napkins. I thought about the Beacon being on the way, but I didn't want to talk to anyone I knew, so even though my shot of Patron wouldn't be free, I stopped at Healy's. I had patrons like me when I bartended in the afternoons. I was the weird tearstained girl in pigtails who stopped do one shot of tequila and then left with a bunch of napkins in my hand. I thought about explaining myself to the bartender so he wouldn't wonder like I used to, but that would mean spitting out the words again. I'd already called both my parents and my boyfriend to sob, "My friend Marcel is dead. He died in a motorcycle accident." And I couldn't say it again, not even to a stranger. Let him wonder.

I got here right as the album ended and saw that Katie had called a moment earlier. Why was everything so perfectly timed when everything is so very very wrong about it all.

Katie said, "Where are you?"

I said, "Under the tree where he talked us out of running away."

She said, "I'll be there in five minutes."

You were always there for me when I was troubled. Katie and I were dead serious about leaving that time. We were gonna leave that night. Walk to Canada via Minnesota. Everyone else who said they were gonna come chickened and tried to talk us out of it. No one could convince us but you. You tried after everyone else gave up. After we began to talk about starting our walk down North Avenue or Lake Street because you couldn't just walk up 290. You called us over to that tree. Squirrels darted around nearby because the squirrels always liked you. You acknowledged why were leaving and the others wouldn't. You acknowledged that what was troubling us was deeper than teen angst, which was why we were so determined to escape. You told us you understood, but then you told us why we shouldn't do it. There was some statement about how we both had bright futures after we fought through this, but knowing that this was similar to what everyone else said, you quickly changed tactics, and whipped out the Marcel logic. I don't remember anything exact about it, but it was a big metaphor about ducks. Ducks. That's all Katie remembers, too. And that it was extraordinarily convincing. We stayed. We didn't run away. We'd never seriously talk about it again.

I'd known who you were since those awkward years at Percy Julian Junior High, but I didn't really get to know you until sophomore year when I started hanging out at the park, wanting desperately to be friends with your group of friends. We also had Geometry class together. You sat one row over, a couple seats behind me. One day in the middle of class you just burst out laughing. I'd gotten stoned at lunch the period before, so I was half asleep when your random guffaw (it was kind of a cackle/guffaw because it was louder and longer than a guffaw, but too deep to be anything but a guffaw) jarred me awake. I turned to stare at you like everyone else. But unlike them, I started to laugh too. I thought your interruption hilarious and perfect. And I was stoned and thought maybe you were, too and maybe you were, but more likely you were just being Marcel. I think when the teacher asked you why you were laughing you just shrugged and he might have made you leave the room. I just remember wanting to be your friend so badly right then. We started to talk a bit after seeing each other around at the park. I ditched Geometry a lot because it was during fifth period lunch, but when I went it was cause I knew I'd get to talk with you. I felt so lucky to be your friend and was completely astonished when you wrote in my yearbook that year: "It's been nice half-knowing you. It's been a strange year, but I'm glad I met you and thanks for talking to me! It's always strange when I find someone who will..." So odd because I felt exactly the same way.

And it was a strange year and the circumstances that made it so that we only half-knew each other were unfortunate. The second half of sophomore year was awkward because of that person I dated that I don't like to talk about now. He had been friends with you and your friends and then totally turned on you all for reasons I never really understood and I got dragged with and put in the middle and it screwed up my chances to really be friends with some people who I really wanted to know. But you were above the fray. You always were. And in Geometry class, you let me pretend like my life was normal and so was our friendship. And when I couldn't be there for my best friend, you were. You saved her life. Literally. Did I ever thank you for that? Thank you.

I know I thanked you for all you did for me though and I'm so glad I was at least able to do that when I was in St. Louis a few years ago and we stayed up drinking and talking in your living room until dawn. Of course you gave me more patented Marcel advice then and on a few occasions thereafter and I'm not sure I properly thanked you, but I'm hoping you knew.

Junior year is when I really became close to you. You were one of the few people that I trusted. I was so completely incapable of trust back then, but you I trusted one hundred percent. There were all of these car rides. I drove everyone to and fro. I usually dropped you off last, partly because you lived closest to me and partly because I liked having those few moments where it was just you and me and your wise words. The snippets of advice and consolation that I needed so badly at 16 and 17 and you were one of the only people who could provide them. And I knew I could tell you anything and you wouldn't tell a soul, even Polly or Katie, if I asked you not to. And through those brief car ride conversations, we developed this special way of communicating. I remember one time I had a decision to make and I didn't want to go into detail, so before you got out of the car, I looked into your eyes and said, "Black or Brown?" And you said, "Brown would be the best choice, but you're going to have to go with Black." It made sense to me and I knew it made sense to you, too. Just like the duck thing and the running away.

There was also the incident with your ring. That person I dated gave it to me even though it wasn't his to give. When I was recovering from his damage done, I tried to give the ring back to you. You took it in your hand, examined it, told me why it was special to you and that you'd missed and then you pressed back into my palm and told me that I needed it more than you did and to return it when I was really ready. I believe I mailed it back to you from Madison when I finally moved there, but since those were still hard days for me it's blurry and I can't find the letters you wrote me while I was living there for the life of me. I might have given it back to you right before I left.

After that point, I didn't see you for almost six years. But then you were in St. Louis and so was my brother. And it was the town where I was born so I went back a bit and when I did, we'd hang out. We had new adventures, getting drunk at some party on the quad at Wash U. You found a lipstick on the ground and gave it to me. I said I liked the color but it was used, so you cut the tip of with a pocket knife. I wore it after that because you said it was okay. You took Ric and me to the City Museum, telling us it was a giant playground for grown-ups. We had more fun than I'd probably had since childhood. We took photobooth pictures which I've had on the fridge ever since. But when I came home after hearing the news I took it down and started carrying it around with me because when the sadness gets the most unbearable, I need to look at you making funny faces. And I've always been amused by the one where Ric moved so you can only see his t-shirt and it looks like we're posing with Robert Smith. Even though Jenny's wedding reception was in the City Museum, it will always be my place with you. I need to take Katie to play there. We always talked about going down there to play with you, but didn't. She'll need that now.

St. Louis, though it was my hometown for seven years, will mostly remind me of you now. I shared my childhood memories with you, brought you into them, which I haven't really done with anyone else. When I came back to visit without Ric, you were living near my grandfather's old house. We walked in the Botanical Garden together and I told you about my love for the Japanese Garden as child. I showed you my old house and you came on the mission with me to find the old Wizard of Oz playground, which I'd hyped up so greatly to you. We ran all over the park with the reservoir looking for it and then had to face facts that it was gone. I swore to you that it had been there and I wasn't crazy and you said you believed me.

You never acted like you thought me crazy even during those times when I really was. When I was looking for closure with those times in 2004, you were the one I turned to. Additionally, my relationship with Ric was falling apart and you were there with advice and clarity as always. You told me in not so many words that you were proud of me and I'd do great things. You told me on more than one occasion "Again and again, I receive confirmation that the only constant is change." You seemed better able to deal with that than I and I tried to learn from you. I promise that I will always keep trying to learn from you.

Oh Marcel....

There are many people you were closer with than me but you never made me feel any less significant and you changed me, helped me, marked in an indelible way-- the way few people did. You helped set me on this path I'm on and it's going to be so hard to walk it without knowing I can drop in on you or that you'll drop a line from time to time.

Montana.... I remember the way you spoke of it with reverence the summer you spent there. The big skies. But why'd they have to go and fucking swallow you? So many people love you, need you, miss you, were touched my you. And boom, motorcycle accident under the open sky and you're gone from us.

But you're not. You're too deep inside of every one of us. I will live my life with lessons learned from you. I will do my best to pay tribute...

I had to do a reading the night after I learned the news. I dedicated to you and swallowed a sob. Then as I read the scene where Michael and Louisa flee town on his motorcycle, I almost choked up again, not just because of that reference, but because I realized in that moment that I'd poured so much of my admiration of you into that character of Michael. I'd realized a while back when someone asked me where I got the names for my characters and I really thought on it, that I'd subconsciously named my two good guy characters Michael and Tom after my "little boys," two of my dearest guy friends in high school, but the idea of Michael, the softspoken man with wild, dark curls and coffee-colored eyes that can look right into you and a sense of empathy that so few have... That's you, Marcel. And no doubt you will continue to seep into the words I write always. You will live forever in that way, through each of the lives you touched.

I miss you. I thank you, my dear, dear friend.
L to R: Katie, Thea, Stephanie, Dave, Marcel and Polly at our feet. In front of Melrose Park Denny's. Fall 1995. The best of times and the worst of times, but mostly the best.

IWBYJR available early from Amazon but I can't really be excited

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 01:32:46 GMT

On any other day I would have been overjoyed to open my email this morning and find out that preordered copies of I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE are shipping now. And that if you go to amazon.com now, it says in stock, not preorder anymore, meaning you can actually get the book now and not have to wait until July 8. I guess this happens sometimes. I don't know if it means it will be in other bookstores, too. Tell me if you see it, I guess. And please, be excited for me. I really can't be right now. It took a lot of effort just to tell you about this. Seems so unimportant right now. But I now I'll want to remember this later so I figured I better document it.

Thank you to everyone who has and continues to leave notes of sympathy. It really does mean a lot to me. I'm still buried under many thick blankets of grief and am finding it to difficult to do anything but take long walks and smoke cigarettes and listen to Automatic for the People and respond to emails on autopilot and even answering email is difficult. I walked roughly five miles yesterday and have smoked almost an entire pack of cigarettes, which I haven't done in years and I know is not good, but really, there are worse things I could do and it seems like there is this crushing weight on my heart and when that feeling gets intense, smoking works as a release valve. I'll stop soon, I promise.

I know people worry about me and I don't want them to. It's difficult because right now I feel like the only people I can talk to are Katie and Polly, who hurt definitely as bad and most likely even worse than I do. And even with them, it's not like we really talk much or know what to say. It's just the comfort of having them on the phone with me, knowing that they still exist in this world because the reminder that people that you thought would exist forever could be gone in a split second is so terrifying. I want to talk to and be around my other friends, too, but I don't know what to say about how I'm doing and I don't know how to make normal conversation and even listening to normal conversation for an extended period of time brings about the anxious crushing weight. I've been through this all too recently so I know I just have to take it an hour, a day at a time, but yeah....

I did write about Marcel and my memories of him and my reactions to this in my journal yesterday and I'll type that up at some point and tell you all about him because he deserves that kind of tribute. He deserves to live forever. I really always thought he would. That like I said yesterday, he'd be the old man in the park playing chess and Polly added, he would be wearing funny hats and telling great stories. There is really no way to put what kind of unique person he was into words. I can't do him justice, but I'll try at some point. For now I'll just say that he was the kind of guy that touched every person he met, made you want him as your best friend or as Polly put it, he was everyone's best man.

Ok this is all too raw right now and not a proper tribute. That will come later. And right now I need to try to figure out how to do normal things like take a shower and write a grocery list.

A devastating loss

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:13:05 GMT

This all seems so irrelevant now, but I started writing it this morning before I got the news so I guess I will just post it.

You can find an interview with me including a picture of my cool, messy office at the Author2Author blog.

And my agent posted a blog I wrote about Rock 'n' Read at her blog.

And of course I'm reading tonight at Old School Records at 7 pm at 7446 W. Madison in Forest Park.

I was going to post part 2 of my personal tattoo explanation beneath this during my lunch hour. But it's going to have to wait for another day. It means nothing right now. None of this means anything at all right now.

At ten this morning I got an email from my friend Polly saying to call her, it was important. I called. She was crying. Our friend Marcel is dead. He was killed in a motorcycle accident last night. I managed not to burst into tears while in the middle of the office on the phone, but then I went to call my best friend some place more private and started sobbing.

I also called my boyfriend and he came to pick me up from work. I went to get cigarettes for the first time in years. I've smoked two. I'm going to take a long walk shortly and smoke more and cry more and then suck it up for an hour and do my reading and dedicate it to him and try not to fucking sob my eyes out because he never got to read it, he never got to hear it and he was always so supportive.

Marcel is one of the most unique souls I've ever known. We've only talked and visited sporadically since high school but the talks and visits have always been incredibly meaningful. I meant to call him when I was in St Louis last. I didn't because there was family stuff and I figured I'd come back in a couple months and see him. Don't do things like that. See your friends whenever you can because you never know... You think I'd know better because this is the third friend to die suddenly in nine months.

He was so special to me and so many other people. I can't even tell you. Not right now. I will later when I have the words because he deserves that. But now I need to go grieve. If I'm not in touch over the next few days you know why.

Thanks for listening.

Tattoos in Progress, Contests, and Interviews

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 03:56:56 GMT

Before we get into ink stories, I want to let you know that the first of a slew of interviews and contests and such has posted.

You can win a signed copy of I WANNA BE YOUR JOEY RAMONE on Book Chic's blog. He's been doing tons of amazing book giveaways all month long and he wanted to include my book, which is a big a honor. So yeah, go check out his blog and enter to win!

The fabulous, up-and-coming YA author Tara Kelly (her book HARMONIC FEEDBACK comes out in Spring 2010 and I totally can’t wait for it) has interviewed me about my road trip to publication and some other fun facts on her blog. It was a really fun interview and I blathered quite a bit, so check it out! Though now I am about to blather quite a bit here….

So as I mentioned, I got some ink this weekend. It was the first sitting so the piece is not complete and will not be until the weekend after I get back from tour/vacation because I need to let this part heal and then I can’t do anything more right before tour/vacation because I’m going to a hot, sunny place and it’s not good to expose fresh ink to the sun. Before I show off what I just got, I need to explain the history of the ever evolving art on my right arm.

I got my first tattoo on my seventeenth birthday, July 13, 1996. You had to be 21 in the Chicago area at the time, but I told my parents it was the only thing I wanted and that I needed parental consent. My parents are both nurses, so they agreed to this only after a consultation with my doctor (who said it’s fine as long as the place was sanitary) and an inspection of the place where I was going to get it done. My dad went to the parlor, asked all the appropriate public health questions and signed the parental consent form. He also drove me to my tattoo appointment on my birthday. I can’t remember if he stayed or not. I just have this vague recollection of him in business clothes looking utterly out of place with the heavy metal types at the tattoo parlor.

I wanted an arm band of female signs going around my right arm. Very simple. Here's the best one I have of it. Me and my friend Eryn in 2002 or so....

I think it cost me about forty bucks and took about half an hour. The store owner, a guy named Spider, told me not to go all the way around the arm because it was my first tattoo and he’d “seen marines cry” getting tattooed on the underside of their arm. I took his advice, though I don’t remember it hurting too badly, but I had a high pain tolerance then. I just remember it sort of sucked having to go straight to work bagging groceries afterward and since then I have always tried to get my birthday off of work. But my co-workers, mostly girls in their late teens and early twenties from the West Side of Chicago, thought I was so hardcore. Some apprentice of Spider’s did the work. The symbols are kind of uneven and Spider would later have to attempt to fix them. My second tattoo by that apprentice about six months later was even worse and I’ve been trying to figure out how to cover it up or fix it for awhile. But at the same time it’s a part of me, it expresses my messed-up teenage self a little bit, so maybe I’ll leave it alone.

I’ve always known that I would never cover the armband, only add to it to try to distract from its imperfections and also because I don’t like such simplistic designs anymore. In 2004 (or 2005 maybe?) I decided to add a logo that the band Hole used on the liner notes to my favorite album of theirs, Live Through This. It’s a little witch inside a heart. I put that above the armband and then the words Live Through This in Polish below it. Why Polish? Because that’s my matrilineal heritage and this is my feminist tattoo. So this is how it looked up until Sunday:

Sunday I added the beginning of something new to it, the music to the song I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone. My friend Jenny Hassler transcribed it for me and my tattoo artist came up with something pretty cool when I told him vaguely that I wanted the music to sort of swirl in a wavy way around my arm. I didn’t really think he’d be able to incorporate the older parts of the tattoo, but he has. Right now it is just lines of the music staff which he freehanded. Sitting number two, he will add all the notes, add some shading, color in the heart from the Hole logo, and add the five guitar picks from the cover of my book in various places around this:

My boyfriend points out that I will still have a lot of space on the back of my arm. One day I may be ballsy enough to fill that. It didn’t make me cry (though I expected it to be the worst pain of my life thanks to Spider’s build up), but it was pretty damn uncomfortable and fortunately Scott struck up a conversation with my tattoo artist so I had something to focus on. But the next plan, which will have to be put into action when I officially decide not to be a part of the normal work world anymore, is to get my muse tattooed on my lower arm. She’s a fairy reading a book that my friend Kevin drew for me, but I’ll probably let the tattooist take further. I know now that I want her to be wearing headphones for example.

So yeah, that’s my tattoo. On the most surface level, it’s my tribute to all the female musicians who have influenced me. I salute them with the female signs, I reference my favorite band hole, and I incorporate a symbol of my book which was my ultimate tribute to them. But there is a much deeper meaning to the tattoo. Put simply it shows my progression from teenage feminist to twenty-something survivor to published author. Writing, music, and feminism, the three things that got me through.

I wrote more about that, really intensely personal stuff because my tattoos usually have a basic story and then a really personal one. I need to sleep on whether I will share this one, but I probably will. I just wanted people to have a chance to comment on happy tattoo stuff before I tell deep personal tales, so yeah. Lemme know what you think.

Girlfriend Cyber Circuit Presents: Jenny O'Connell and a cool contest!

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 03:47:51 GMT

For those who are dying to know (*grins* Keri, I'm talking to you), I did get tattooed this weekend. It was just the first sitting and it won't be complete 'til after my tour, but I'll tell you about it tomorrow. Today I'm really excited to have Jenny O'Connell here today on her Girlfriend Cyber Circuit tour. Jenny's one of my fellow MTV Books authors and she has two books coming out, LOCAL GIRLS and RICH BOYS, that are kicking off her Island Summer series. Check out how totally summery these books look! Makes me want to go hang out on Martha's Vineyard where the books take place:Here's the scoop on these books:

There are two kinds of people on the island— those who leave at summer’s end… and those who are left behind.

Bestselling author Jenny O’Connell presents a sizzling new series for summer. Her first two Island Summer novels, LOCAL GIRLS and RICH BOYS (MTV/Pocket Books; June 2008; $9.95 each) highlight the lives of the summering visitors, the year-round locals living in the beach towns of Martha’s Vineyard, and the fireworks that explode when they combine for three steamy months.

In LOCAL GIRLS, friendships are in danger of ending with the summer. Kendra and Mona are best friends, local girls who spend their summers catering to rich tourists and the rest of the year chafing against small-town life. Then Mona's mom marries one of the island's rich summer visitors, and Mona joins the world of the Boston elite, leaving Kendra and Martha's Vineyard behind. When Mona returns the following summer, everything is different.

Unlike his sister, Mona's twin brother Henry hasn't changed. He's spending his summer the way he always has: with long, quiet hours fishing. Early mornings before work become special for Kendra as she starts sharing them with Henry, hoping he can help her figure Mona out. Then Kendra hatches a plan to prove she's Mona's one true friend: uncover the identity of the twins' birth father, a question that has always obsessed Mona. And so she begins to unravel the seventeen-year-old mystery of the summer boy who charmed Mona's mother. But it may prove to be a puzzle better left unsolved--as what she is about to discover will change their lives forever...

In RICH BOYS, Winnie jumps at the chance to babysit for a wealthy summer family and earn some extra money—but soon learns that life in the Barclay’s beautiful vacation home isn’t as perfect as it appears. And what was supposed to be a carefree summer quickly becomes more complicated than she ever thought possible.

As for Jenny O'Connell, here's the basics on her: She received her BA from Smith College and her MBA from the University of Chicago. The author of PLAN B and BOOK OF LUKE, she lives outside of Boston with her family.

Of course, I've gotten a little bit more in depth with her and her books by doing my usual music-themed interview:

Please list five songs that would be on the soundtrack to your book and explain how they relate to your story or characters.

Jenny: Actually, for the Island Summer series I didn’t think about music so much as the sound of the island – the waves, the wind rustling the trees, the sound of shoppers on Main Street in Edgartown. I never thought of music playing because there was so much “noise” made by the island itself. It’s also a pretty timeless place that feels immune to trends – I pretty much just picture someone on the beach playing an acoustic guitar around a bonfire.

Name some of your main character's favorite musicians or bands.

Jenny: I can honestly say I’ve never thought about the music my characters listen to (although one of my books OFF THE RECORD has music at its very core and reason for existing – in that one music plays a huge role). But I always imagine them listening to women singers/songwriters.

Who are some of your favorite musicians or bands?

Jenny: Alanis Morissette, Toni Childs, Indigo Girls, Melissa Etheridge, Pink Floyd.
I’m a big fan of the tormented woman song-writing.

Even though music plays in so heavily into my storytelling, I rarely can actually listen to it while I'm writing. Can you? How does music fit into your writing process?

Jenny: I love to go running while listening to my iPod. It lets me really listen to lyrics and the story the musician is telling. It totally inspires me. One of my books was heavily influenced by an Alanis Morissette album – that woman can write!

While music is my muse, I know other writers find their muse in theater, sports, art, the great outdoors, etc. What is your main muse?

Jenny: Bad experiences. I think back on ex-boyfriends, dumb things I did, dumb things my friends did. I have a great memory for horrifying stuff.

Personally I lov

e the idea of those island sounds as the soundtrack to this book and it really makes me want to read it on the beach. And bad experiences are definitely one of my muses, too!

If you are as excited as I am about this fun series for summer, learn how you can win an Island Summer t-shirt – just in time for the beach. Go to http://jennyoconnell.blogspot.com and enter to win today! And learn more about LOCAL GIRLS and RICH BOYS at www.jennyoconnell.com.

Roller Coaster Rides and other updates

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:35:02 GMT

I've been a bad, bad, bad blogger. Part of it was personal chaos (resolved in some ways, not in others, but that is how life generally is, isn't it?) and part was just the big huge roller coaster ride that the last *gulp* month before debut novel publication really is.

You should visit my MTV Books blog to learn all about the ups and downs of this week. There is news about ROCK 'N' READ, including pretty new banners you can have and, news about BALLADS, including photo documentation of contract receipt and the updated playlist.

On other fronts I have spent the last few hours getting my head on straight about blogs for the next couple weeks. Where I'll be, guests I'm having... So the radio silence of this week was probably good because I won't be shutting up for about two weeks straight come end of June. Be prepared. Also, the place I will probably kick off my weeks of blathering is Teen Fiction Cafe! I was invited to become a blogger there today and I am soooooooooo excited. Check out all the cool people who blog there!

Also, I have a new novel in my head. I've only been able to write one day a week, which is extremely frustrating to me, but I'm not sure things will improve until after vacation/tour. But those of you who like the Beacon stories, will be excited to know that it proved to be inspiration for this new novel, in which one of the main characters is a bartender.

Okay, there might be more stuff to tell you, but I'm starving now, so I have to go eat and then I have to see a man about a tattoo. I might have new ink this weekend... If not I will at least have new ink plotted for my return from vacation....

Grrrl Power! Contest Winners and my faves

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:47:05 GMT

Sorry to wait until the last minute to make this decision, but it’s one of the toughest decisions I had to make in a while! I had to call Melissa in for assistance and she helped me narrow things down.

Thanks so much for all the wonderful suggestions, I really enjoyed them all. Here are the six that made me sigh, squee and grin mostly wildly. I need for these people to contact me at stephanie at stephanie kuehnert dot com with their addresses ASAP so I can mail out your prizes!

Myspace.com/blackheartdarling13. You can review her choices here. I think “Rebel Girl” is the ultimate grrrl power song, but what pushed me over the edge was Civet who is my new favorite band. I am tracking down their album and have already bought a seven inch and t-shirt.

Chlomydia. Her choices are here. The Distillers song is my personal ultimate grrrl power song and she turned me on to Dresden Dolls.

Myspace.com/negative_creep. Choices here. Atomic Blonde= another new favorite

Tlcadence. Choices here. Gutsy to share your own (amazing!) music and Betty Blowtorch, more new excitement

Anjylle. Choices here. Unbelievably unique picks, appealed to my inner goth girl.

Lexilibrarian. Choices here. This could be my personal grrrl power playlist.

Because I had so many tough choices, I decided to pick three runners-up as well. I have some coverflats for IWBYJR that I will sign and send to these people. I understand it is not a book, so if you don’t want it, it’s cool, but if you do, send me your addresses:

Bookbogan: Choices.

_bac_: Choices.

Leahclifford: Choices.

Now in the spirit of the contest, I would like to share my three current favorite female/female-fronted bands (aside from Civet, whose myspace page, I go and listen to once a day.)

Right now I am really digging Sybris, who are a hometown band, but I discovered them live in Denver: http://www.myspace.com/sybris Check out “Oh Man” and “Burnout Babies.”

And I get a billion band friend requests on myspace like everyone else, but very few where I actually get really excited about the band. Full Contact Kitty from Maine is an exception. They were kind enough to send me their CD and it’s in heavy rotation. They remind me a wee bit of Sleater-Kinney.http://www.myspace.com/fullcontactkitty The first song, Luck Soup is my fave.

Last but not least, The Gits are all-time fave, but I’ve been listening to them obsessively lately because I’m really excited about a documentary that’s coming out about them and the tragic death of their extraordinarily talented lead singer Mia Zapata. The doc will have a limited release in certain cities on 4^th of July weekend and actually comes out on DVD the same day as IWBYJR releases. Read more about the movie and hear some Gits music here: http://www.thegitsmovie.com/ My all-time favorite Gits song is “Another Shot of Whiskey.”

Feel free to let me know what you think of my choices, the winners’ choices, etc and of course you can always suggest more music *nods enthusiastically*

Oh and if you still want to enter to win a copy of IWBYJR, I’m still running a contest on my website that ends tomorrow at 11:59 PM CST!