Howdy, yo.
First off, thank you to everyone who tuned in to our authors conference call last night! A special shout out to F.O.B. (Friend of the Blog) Robin, whose MC-ing skills were unmatched (we're still looking for that elusive match).
Another special shoutout to F.O.B. Kristin, who had the guts to raise her hand (metaphorically) and ask a question. It made me so happy!
If you have an hour or more to kill, you can listen to the conference here: (maybe, if I figure out how to work the doohickee, and finagle it up to the tech-a-ma-gadget).
Second:
An update on the international front...
My book has sold in the U.K./Australia and Brazil! Every time I try to imitate a British or Aussie accent, it ends up coming out like a pirate. (Sam's no better. His comes out "German-with-a-lisp")
I'm so excited, especially because the publishers have such enthusiasm for the books, and they bought the entire trilogy.
Some of you may ask, "What-the-what is an American English to British translation like? Why translate at all?"
Mostly, it just means every time I say the following sentence:
They made out in the trunk of the car
The Brits change it to:
They snogged in the boot.
Surprisingly, my book as 864 incidents where the characters snog in the boot, so it will be a lot of work.
There are also quite a few words that are relatively harmless in the U.S., but mean something quite cheeky for the Brits. I'd name them here, but I don't want to offend any Brits reading this.
So, Tally-ho, Sally forth, grab a pint and mind the gap! (Which, loosely translated, means "Come celebrate with me, and try not to fall in a hole!)
Oh. My. Heck. Thanks for the Friday laugh Brodi. I can always count on you.
ReplyDeleteI've actually always wanted to buy the British versions of Harry Potter. I know they're very similar, but I still would love to read them like they were intended if that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteIf you have a sorcerer somewhere in your book, he would be a philosopher in the British version.
I like the word bogey instead of booger. It seems more sophisticated.
Donna- Thank you for reading!
ReplyDeleteJenni- I do love the word bogey. I also love the word "knickers" instead of underwear.
How about 'I wanna another shrimp on the baaarbbbbiiiieeee.' It may not be british but it is still awesome.
ReplyDeleteI refined my british accent while were there and it sounds NOTHING like german with a lisp!
Me dad's English--would you like some lessons?
ReplyDeleteYou girls were hilarious last night! Thanks!
Sam- Don't be silly. You refined it from German-with-a-lisp to Brazilian-with-a-retainer. You're not even in the right half of the world!
ReplyDeleteRobin- Thanks again for being an awesome host!
Congrats Brodi! My favorite British-ism is "Chin Wagging". I just heard it the other week and I think it's hilarious! It means to chat with somebody.
ReplyDeleteI like gobsmacked. And how they call everyone "luv". See Tim Roth for example.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on going international!! That is so great!
ReplyDeleteYour posting today was very funny. It totally made me laugh. We all need a bit of pirate in us right? :)
I wanted to thank you for the conference last night. I really enjoyed it, and it was neat getting to "meet" you and the rest of The SIX. It would be cool to meet in person someday.
Thank you also for taking my question. That was a lot of fun! But I just knew when Robin read off my phone number that I would probably do something stupid like hang up on myself. Ha! Thankfully, I didn't. The tips about writing that first page were great. Having just finished my second novel and spending hours agonizing over the opening, that topic has been very much on my mind.
Congrats on the foreign rights! And I have to tell you, I picked up Austenland today to reread (because I needed something light and fun after a particularly dark book), and your last little British sentence (the "Tally ho" etc one) totally reminded me of Miss Charming's version of being British. Thanks for the laugh. ;)
ReplyDeleteWOW O_O Congratulations!! That's awesome news. I think I'd like to buy the British copy, just for the words. Think of the american words for "argy-bargy" and "bangers and mash" so it'll have cool words.
ReplyDeleteLulabell- Chin-wagging is awesome, and so descriptive.
ReplyDeleteSal- I love that word! And Tim Roth can call me Luv any day of the week. And twice on Mondays.
Kristin- no, thank YOU for calling in! And you didn't sound nervous at all. Way to go on finishing your second book. Now what are your plans?
Sara- That's such a great book. Looks like I'll need to do a re-read sometime soon.
Heather- Why don't we have such cool words to describe our own food? Bangers and Mash is so much better than sausage and potatoes.
Congratulations, Brodi! That's so exciting!
ReplyDeleteWell, now that my novel has been revised many many times (about 8 in all) my plans are to try to find an agent! Yay!
ReplyDeleteI have sent out a handful of queries to gauge the response. If nothing comes of those, then I am going to tweak my query and just keep trying!
After New Year's, I will probably start on my third book. They are all YA novels. ;)
Congrats again girl. You are such an inspiration to me and I can't wait to say 'I knew you before you were worldwide famous', b/c right now you are just U.S. famous :) My faovrite British word? Probably not appropriate to say considering my religious beliefs, but I sadly do say it quite often: 'Bloody hell'. Don't tell the neighbors :)
ReplyDeleteKristin- Yay! Good luck on the search. Keep us updated.
ReplyDeleteJo- You are so cute! Thanks for all of your support, despite your tendency to swear like a sailor. (Just kidding. I say Bloody hell all the time. All. The. Time.)
And Bollocks.
And Wanker.
Question for you, Brodi. How did you get such a fun crit group together? Did you already know each other before you were writers? Did you find each other?
ReplyDeleteHow?
Loved the show. It was fun to listen to and oh so informative!
ReplyDeleteDonna--they covered that at the beginning of the call. :) It was kind of complicated, though, so maybe Brodi can summarize it for us.... :)
ReplyDeleteDonna- It started with Bree, Kim and Emily. They had taken a writing class in college together, and they reconnected a while later. Then Sara came (she was friends with Kim) and then Valynne came (She was neighbors and friends with Bree).
ReplyDeleteFinally, Bree and I signed with the same agent around the same time, and we met each other when he came to town. After months of auditioning, and countless tap-dancing lessons, I finally was inducted into the group. Making it an even six. Which everyone knows is the magical number for a crit group. (At least, it is with ours).
The group was really careful about finding people that would be a good fit. Crit groups can really be a trial and error process, and I know it can be frustrating, but when it finally comes together, it's worth it! It's like speed-dating. Sometimes you have to work your way through a few rotten ones...
Are you in a crit group?
Anyone else have advice on finding a good group?
Eden- Thanks, sistah.
Robin- Thanks for chiming in.
Thanks for that. I heard a bit of it at the beginning, but wasn't real clear. I'm not part of a crit group, and I've heard some horror stories, but I think they would be so helpful.
ReplyDeleteMy closest thing to a crit partner is a friend on the other side of the world. =D