I'm now on YouTube! Yes, my very first YouTube appearance (at least as far as I know...). Last week, I got an email from the American Library Association asking if I'd film a commercial for them promoting this amazing Banned Book Read-Out event in Chicago on September 29. I will be there - along with several other banned authors - reading from our scandalous books. I seriously do not understand this, but The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things was the 4th most challenged book in America in 2006. I was SHOCKED when I found out because I get so many emails from readers telling me that my book helped them feel better about themselves, stop hurting their bodies, etc. Who'd want to ban that?

So of course my inner diva freaked out and was like OF COURSE I'LL FILM A COMMERCIAL FOR YOU!!! But then real life hit and I realized we don't have a video camera. I borrowed one from my friend Jhoanna, but at the last minute my husband did it with our digital camera. It took a lot of takes because, even though I'm an inner diva, I'm a dork in real life and have very little camera-ready poise. For the first few takes, according to Jonas, I was batting my head this way and that (huh?). So then I tried to fuse my skull to my neck, but then I cracked up because our son was talking in the background. FINALLY we got something passable:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px07Pr05UUk

So there's my debut on YouTube (that's our bookshelf in the background).

In other news, Guyaholic is going to get a small (but very cool!) review in the New York Times Book Review this weekend! Yahoooooo. I will try not to bat my head too much.

Love,

Carolyn