NaNoWriMo :: NaNoWriMo Blog

1. When Chris is in a weird mood (which is often), he likes to speak in foreign languages. Sometimes they are real foreign languages. Sometimes they are fictional. It is particularly challenging when he decides to speak in Jawa. Or whatever language Jabba the Hut speaks. It’s not much more convenient when he speaks in German since nobody else speaks any German, and French is only marginally better since my French is mediocre at best. Often, he doesn’t speak the language either, but he makes up for it with an outrageous fake accent.

2. Lindsey and I share a deep and abiding love for Disney music that nobody else in the office is quite as keen on. This means we’ll often both be listening to the Disney Pandora station on our headphones and sending particularly good lyrics to each other over Google Chat. This also means that when we’re alone in the office, we immediately plug in the rock cord that connects to the communal speakers and have a singalong.

3. Dan really gets into music. Sometimes it’s on his headphones, sometimes it’s on the speakers, sometimes it’s in his head. It doesn’t matter what the source, there are times when it gets the best of him and he has to bust out dancing. Unexpected Dan fact: he is an awesome dancer.

4. Tavia is an owlcaholic. No matter how much you think you love owls, Tavia loves them more. She has a giant owl behind her desk, owl jewelry, owl clothing…if it has an owl on it, Tavia will love it. Lindsey and I bought her a bottle of owl tequila for her birthday.

5. Friday jams are awesome. Every Friday afternoon, Dan cues up the Friday jams playlist and we all rock out to some awesome music of perhaps-questionable quality. I have no idea how this got started, but it rules. I suggest starting a Friday jam tradition in your own office or home. The music choices are not always so harmonious: Chris really loves to sing Christmas carols. In June. We retaliate by making him listen to the entire Moulin Rouge soundtrack.

6. Jen’s great unrealized ambition in life was to play Tinkerbell at Disney World. She would in fact make an excellent Tink, what with her spitfire ways and small stature, but we are very glad she decided to run Script Frenzy instead. However, if anyone is looking for an evenings and weekends Tinkerbell, I can definitely endorse Jen.

7. Jezra is a font of interesting trivia, often about language. You’d think that in an office full of wordy types, the tech guy wouldn’t be the one with the broadest knowledge of etymology, but he totally schools the rest of us all the time. (Who knew that “sinister” actually refers to handedness? Jez knew!)

8. Moving next door to a bakery was perhaps not the wisest move. It is a rare day that at least two people aren’t getting a cookie, a piece of pie, cobbler, scones…the list goes on. Delicious sweet treats within fifteen steps: lethal! Fortunately the new office also has stairs, so we can run up and down them a few dozen times to make up for the inevitable scarfing of baked goods.

9. There are some funny little language quirks here at the OLL. Since benevolent Tom Selleck overlooks us, sometimes his name is taken in vain when something goes wrong. (Try it! If you’re mad about something, shake your fist and yell “Selleck!” It’s surprisingly satisfying.) “Pants!” is also a common exclamation when things do not go as planned. We like to make up words and then cling furiously to the idea that it is a real word. There are also puns flying all over creation pretty much all the time. We do like our puns.

10. There is a grocery store a little way down the road, about a five-minute drive, called the Berkeley Bowl. It has many delicious lunch options. If anyone is ever driving to Berkeley Bowl, there is immediately a carful and several additional orders from the people staying behind. Then we walk from the car to the store all in a row and like to pretend we’re in a gang or about to burst into a musical number. Regardless of what we’re having for lunch that day, the first stop is always Cheese Island for a cheese sample. (I don’t have a car here, except for rare days when my roommate lends me hers, so I’m mostly a Berkeley Bowl mooch.)

I could go on for a long time about what an amazing two months I’ve had here at OLL, but I will spare you all my ineloquent ramblings. Suffice it to say, it’s been two of the best months of my life, spent with the best group of coworkers I could ever have asked for. I have never laughed so hard in my life, and I have never had a job I loved so much. Thank you to the OLL staff and all the NaNoWriMo and Script Frenzy participants that I’ve interacted with here, on Facebook, on Twitter, and at events. You’re the best.

We’ve mentioned him in passing in a few places, but you have not been formally introduced to Jezra! Jez is our new web developer here at the Office of Letters and Light, and we thought we’d take this opportunity to tell you a little more about him.

Jezra is a Back to the Future jacket-wearing, spectacular sideburn-sporting tech guru with a knack for playing the bagpipes and a determination to rid the world of anti-left-handed language. After eight years at an educational software company, he found himself at the Office of Letters and Light shortly before Script Frenzy 2010.

Although he was thrown into the deep end right before event launch and left to interpret someone else’s code, Jez not only worked with Dan to maintain Script Frenzy’s largest, most stable year ever, but simultaneously completed his first script.

A proud resident of Petaluma, Jez soon learned about the time management skills required to succeed at Script Frenzy, and advises would-be script writers to make the time right from the start so as to avoid the scramble he faced. Although his last minute victory was exciting, he feels it was an unnecessary stress that may have taken several years off his life.

Jez harbors a desire to rent the garage behind his apartment, build a boat, and sail the boat five miles down the Petaluma River to Papa’s Taverna, get a glass of retsina, and then sail home. Jez is an avid science fiction and fantasy reader and is looking forward to the challenges and excitement that NaNoWriMo will undoubtedly present. He would love to know if you would let him stay on your boat.

For most NaNoWriMo participants, the Office of Letters and Light is a mythical place, on par with Hogwarts and that treehouse the Keebler elves live in. While most people have a general idea of what emerges from such places, few ever actually get to go inside.

No longer, Wrimos. My name is Sarah Mackey. I am a Wrimo. A Municipal Liaison. And as of today, I’m the new intern at the Office of Letters and Light.

I’ll be here in the Office for the next two months, doing my practicum in Public Relations with the delightful staff of OLL. And while I’m here, I’ll be giving you fine people an insider’s perspective on how the magic happens.

Before we get into all the juicy behind-the-scenes action, let me tell you a little more about myself. Some of you may know me by my forum name, SarahJanet. I’ve been participating in NaNoWriMo since 2002, and I’ve been the Municipal Liaison for Edmonton, Alberta, Canada since 2003. (Shout out to the Edmowrimos!) Last year I joined the OLL staff to work on the Come Write In library outreach program and help with the Night of Writing Dangerously.

Once I discovered that my Public Relations diploma required an internship, I immediately thought of OLL. Many, many hours of visa paperwork later, I arrived here in the sunny Bay Area. I’m here for eight weeks, and I’ll be working on NaNoWriMo outreach and some other exciting things. I will also be working on not getting sunburned while waiting for the bus.

You’ll be hearing a lot from me over the next few months, and I’d love to hear from you! If you have burning questions about life at OLL, let me know. I’ll also be working on the NaNoWriMo Facebook and Twitter pages, so if you have a great idea about how we should be using those resources, please do share it so I can steal it from you and claim credit. (Just kidding. I’ll totally steal it, but I’ll give you credit.)

Make sure to become a Fan of our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter to get all the latest news and insider tidbits from my time here, and please feel free to share any advice on adjusting to living on top of a giant hill when you come from the Canadian prairies. Or just say hi!

-Sarah

ETA 12:03, March 25th, 2010: Alright, all, the contest is officially closed! Congratulations to cwolfe2009 and Ted Boone! We'll be in touch with you soon. Thank you to everyone who entered the contest, and we're stoked to see you all back for Script Frenzy!

The pitch: We're inviting all the novelists of NaNoLand to come write a movie, play, TV show, or graphic novel script with us in April for Script Frenzy. To celebrate the imminent launch of the Frenzy on April 1, we're giving away two slots in Lani Diane Rich's online novel-writing classes.

To enter, just post a logline in the comments of this blog, either for your upcoming Script Frenzy script or for a screenplay adaptation of one of your NaNoWriMo novels. What's a logline, you ask? Great question!

A logline is your one-sentence answer to the question: "What's your movie about?" On the rare occasion, you can stretch it to two sentences, but ideally, loglines are brief, packed with information, and exciting! That means a sentence with punch that will engage your audience and make them go, "Wow! I need to see that movie."

A tall order! To inspire all you creative folks, here are a few loglines for well-known movies:

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark: A dashing archaeologist races against Hitler's Nazi forces to find the lost Ark of the Covenant, a weapon that could turn the tides of history.

Jaws: After a series of grisly shark attacks, a sheriff struggles to protect his small beach community against the bloodthirsty monster, in spite of the greedy chamber of commerce.

Rushmore: A precocious private high school student whose life revolves around his school competes with its most famous and successful alumnus for the affection of a first grade teacher.

Loglines can be tricky, but they can also be a fun exercise to start thinking about the script you want to tackle in April. Here's a logline for a screenplay I've been working on:

His parents wounded by the death of their beloved oldest son, a young boy desperate to keep his family together sets out to do the impossible: resurrect his brother.

So, one more time. To win one of two spots in Lani Diane Rich's novel-writing classes, just comment to this post with the logline for your planned Script Frenzy screenplay, or a logline for the movie adaptation of one of your NaNoWriMo novels.

Discovery: Discover the story you want to tell in the first stage of preparing for a novel. Great if you're ready to start planning for NaNoWriMo 2010!

Revision: Polishing your rough draft. This is for all you winning Wrimos deep in revisions for your incredible, but raw, novel.

For more General Class Information, check here.

If you've already signed up for her classes, or decide you want to and still enter the contest, Lani will refund your tuition if you win this contest! You can't lose!

Please include a link to your NaNoWriMo author profile or blog so we can get a hold of you and let you know you've won. Two winners will be chosen at random at noon, Pacific time, on Thursday, March 25.

Thanks to Lani, and good luck to you all! We're excited to see the loglines you come up with!

- Tim

Quick note: To defeat spammers, we review every comment before it's posted on the blog. Because of this, your logline may take a day or more to appear. Fear not! It'll get up there.

The Board of Covers

The curtain has officially come down on 30 Covers, 30 Days for all of us here at NaNoWriMo, and we hope you enjoyed the incredible show Fwis put on as much as we did. Chris Papasadero proved his graphic design genius in November, pumping out 19 gorgeous, intelligent covers for 19 lucky Wrimos.

1. The Business - Solita
2. Traffic Lights - fadingwinds
3. The Beauty of a Grid - delucaa
4. Meet John Foe - MartianMenace
5. King of the Food Court - slithy-toves
6. Die Peperoni im Heu (The Pepper in the Hay) - Mandarinente
7. Soviet Kid (Lapochka) - cloister
8. Rhythm of a (Reluctant) Desi Heart - crookedmilk (Thank you to Elena Giavaldi!)
9. Hundred Hit Wonder - kattbee
10. So You Think You're a Vampire - jvolavka
11. Destroying Alice - Crunchy
12. Fragrance of the Crepe Myrtle - HMSChocolate
13. Till minne av dig (In Memory of You) - Zahra
14. Nightmares & Cityscapes - JupiterStar
15. Matando Hombres Muertos (Killing Dead Men) - J. Raoul
16. The Staff of Thollecombe Manor - CatsEnjoyPotatoes
17. A World Without Men - Tomorrow
18. He Didn't Take Me to Prom and Other Disappointments - dchadbrown
19. Welcome to Hell - Takato Metallium

Sure, it's not the perfect record I know Chris was hoping for, but I'll say it to anyone who asks: 19 is pretty darn impressive, especially when you consider Chris is running a successful design firm and was writing a NaNo-Novel to boot!

We want to thank all of you, for the passion, creativity and community you bring to NaNoWriMo every November, and for embracing the 30 Covers project in that spirit! I know Chris has had a blast getting to know you and talking in the forums, and--as a first year intern--I've been totally overwhelmed and grateful to be so immersed in NaNoWriMo this past month and the first annual 30 Covers!

We definitely have some kinks to work out in future years, but just think! You can tell your kids that in 2009, the Steelers landed their sixth Super Bowl win, Barack Obama won the Nobel Prize, and 30 Covers launched. Momentous occasions all.

Thank you again, and see you next year!

Mary Kole

Mary Kole is an associate agent with Andrea Brown Literary Agency, where she represents children's picture books, middle grade fiction, and young adult fiction. Mary was kind enough to answer our questions and share her thoughts on submissions, revision, and that special NaNo glow.

We've heard rumors that literary agents see a sharp uptick in manuscript submissions and query letters on December 1 thanks to NaNoWriMo. Is there any truth to this?

Yes. In fact, several agents joke that December is "NaQuRejMo," which cruelly stands for "National Query Rejection Month." In all seriousness, though, we do see a lot of queries in December. Some of those queries even boast that the project is a fresh NaNo baby. This makes us cringe a little because we love polished projects.

What is NaNoWriMo's reputation amongst literary agents? Are we the bane of your existence? The wind beneath your wings?

A lot of great published novels (like Sara Gruen's Water For Elephants) got their start during NaNoWriMo. But the key word in the last sentence is "start." I bet Sara Gruen put lots and lots of work into her masterpiece, even before she sent it off to her agent. Agents love authors who take their craft seriously, who have great writing habits and who finish what they start. NaNoWriMo teaches participants all of these valuable things and gets them started with a flying leap. Agents, however, don't take kindly to people who submit things that aren't ready to be seen by professionals. We know how hard it is to hold back enthusiasm for your totally amazing blockbuster idea, but we really want to see things that shine, tell a complete story, have amazing writing and incredible voice. Those are things that mostly emerge during revision.

Do you have any NaNoWriMo participants in your stable of clients? Do you find them to be perhaps better looking or more charming than your other clients?

All of my clients are drop-dead gorgeous but you know what? The NaNo participants do seem to have that certain something. No wonder! And every November, they only seem to get more luminous... like they're full of letters and light. Coincidence? I myself have dabbled in NaNo. That, I think, is the secret to why I'm so awesome (and to my gracious humility, natch).

Let's say that the first draft of my NaNoWriMo novel completely rocks. What are some things I should be sure to do before sharing it with an agent? Are there any things I should be sure not to do?

I liken a first draft to a skeleton. It's got shape and all the right bones, but it's missing a whole lot of fleshing out. Creating a story arc and finishing a manuscript-length draft is a great skill to learn and an incredible achievement. Thanks NaNo! But revision is an even more important skill. That's the one that requires time, patience and lots of practice to learn. It only takes one try to write a first draft. Most writers then revise anywhere from three to a zillion times before their manuscript is "ready for prime time."

NaNoWriMo is great because it provides writers with resources, forums, profiles, blog guidance, videos and more. There are regional groups and write-ins and a fabulous midnight kick-off party. NaNo is a great resource for meeting other ambitious writers. Use it. If you're not in a critique group already, join one ASAP. The initial writing process might've been a lonely and intense one, but revision is best done with input from other like-minded folk. If you get an agent and then an editor, you'll get notes and feedback from them. It's best to get in the habit of discussing and sharing your work early. Besides, writers usually have a lot of emotions and ego wrapped up in their work. It's almost impossible to see your own stuff objectively. That's why you need feedback from other preferably published or more experienced writers.

Once you're getting feedback from some kind of critique group, get on a schedule that alternates revision with taking a break. A lot of revision work is subconscious. Ideas will strike you when you least expect them. Scenes will spring to mind. Connections will be forged that you didn't notice before. Themes will start to emerge. Give yourself plenty of time to read and rewrite, but also give yourself plenty of time away from the page. Your brain's impressive back burner will continue thinking. The next time you come back to your manuscript after a few weeks or months, I guarantee you'll have ideas and notice things you never did before.

This all involves time and patience, but it's well worth it. Instead of being a casualty of NaQuRejMo, really spend the time. Every time you sit down to write or revise, you'll be growing and learning the craft. And maybe I'll see your NaNoWriMo submission in my inbox... next December! Revision is the real work, but also the real fun, of writing.

Thank you, Mary!

Thanks, and congratulations to all the NaNo participants who've just finished their full-length manuscripts. Wahoo!

You thought we were done, but like the Energizer Rabbit, or a horde of zombies, or Arnold Schwarzenegger, we keep coming back. On the day of the deadline, November 30th, Chris made a comeback that would rival Mickey Rourke's and posted five more covers. Observe the visual splendor:

30 Covers: Another Final Batch (1)

Matando Hombres Muertos (Killing Dead Men) - J. Raoul

After bearing witness to a mob hit, a reluctant parking lot guard follows what his conscience dictates and makes an anonymous call to the local authorities. A day later, he is kidnapped and taken to an unknown location, where he is humiliated and tortured for hours. He readies himself to occupy a nameless grave in the desert but a tremendous blunder during the transportation of his body saves his life. Left for dead due to the nature and context of his predicament, he is discovered and a surgeon truly committed to his job ignores the consequences and saves the guard.

The general public knows no faith, no hope. There are no prayers or pledges for the soul of Nick Ramsey, only morbid interest upon knowing that he shall die soon at the hand of whoever reaches him first. No one hopes for his survival; they can only wonder who shall eventually kill him.

30 Covers: Another Final Batch (2)

The Staff of Thollecombe Manor - CatsEnjoyPotatoes

"The real mystery here is not that of the murderer's identity, but of why a Manor with only one inhabited room occupied by an old, dying man requires the full complement of a butler, a housekeeper, a cook, countless maids, a nanny, a gardener and a hall boy."

30 Covers: Another Final Batch (3)

A World Without Men - Tomorrow

One hundred years into the future society is being rebuilt and women have made a science that will change society forever - they are bringing men back to life seventy years after the war that killed every man in existence. With the oldest male in society at five years of age how will life change for these women? And can they stand their world changing just as much as it did seventy years ago?

30 Covers: Another Final Batch (4)

He Didn't Take Me to Prom and Other Disappointments - dchadbrown

High school sweethearts reconnect after 35 years and see if the magic is still there beneath all the emotional baggage.

30 Covers: Another Final Batch (5)

Welcome to Hell - Takato Metallium

Every God and Goddess has to go to school. Hades is no exception. For third years at Olympia Academy it's 'that year' - the year they discover what they'll be presiding over for the rest of eternity. For some it will be a year they will never forget, and for others it will be a year they would rather not remember...

A ski trip to Mount Vesuvius during the winter holidays soon uncovers a much more sinister plot. Persephone is being targeted by an unknown force; completely unaware of the danger she's in. With the help of his friends, Hades must prove his innocence in the downfall of Pompeii and warn the school in time to rescue Persephone from the unknown threat. Or does he have to dive in headfirst with only Loki and Bastet keeping him afloat and hope for the best?

Check out the forums to let Chris know what you think! And give the guy a round of applause, folks, he did an incredible job.

Thanks, and congratulations to all of you for surviving another NaNoWriMo! A true accomplishment.

On November 22nd, Wrimos from around the world gathered in San Francisco at the Julia Morgan Ballroom to participate in A Night of Writing Dangerously: Write-a-thon 2009!

We've got to start by observing some hardboiled noir tradition: It was a dark and stormy night...

(Between you and me, though, it was a clear and gorgeous night. Atmosphere! Artistic license!)

As one of your friendly registrars, I got to wait behind the closed doors to the entrance while our awesome, costumed Wrimos gathered in the lobby. Kind of an epic moment when those doors flung open and Wrimos came strutting in in all their finery.

We had Wrimos from all over the United States and even some from whole other countries—two all the way from Australia!

In your own words:

Wrimos were greeted with some rad Write-a-thon tote bags filled with goodies. If there was ever a tote bag that signaled the wearer was not to be messed with, it’s this bag.

Our awesome staff and volunteers put together some incredible donations to be raffled off, ranging from gift certificates, to painstakingly crafted paper cranes, to our favorite novels.

Most incredible of all, though:

That’s right. I can confirm for you now that what you’re looking at is a doll of the one and only Chris Baty. A Mini-Chris, if you will. I have to believe that, out there, in one of the millions of parallel universes, there is a universe both awesome enough and weird enough that its toy warehouses cannot stay full of crates of this doll.

Also, yes, that is a Viking helmet.

A small section of the candy buffet, provided by the amazing Cybele. For a more detailed description, you can check out her Candy Blog! Mouth-watering may occur. You’ve been warned.

Lindsey and Sarah, our valiant master of ceremonies, at the podium; the 50,000 word bell sharing center stage. We had 18 winners at the event! Congratulations to: WICKidEGO, Seykolova, ReneeDrake, Ixy_Pixy, DrBSP, ChrisK0, lazym, Kylene, katster, Ethereel, QueenofOdd, tameri_etherton , Jen Gunderson, RoseThorns, Slytherinqt, Modified Bear, Cooper3, and atoma

It was great to see tables bonding over word counts and troublesome protagonists. One of the most amazing things about NaNoWriMo is seeing a true community forming around writing, complete with cheering, commiserating, and oddball traditions:

We had word sprinters racking up some mindblowing numbers. Sprint winners received a grave and coveted honor:

Wars have been fought over glory such as this.

We did have a few hitches; though we’d taped down miles of extension cords and boxes full of power strips all over the ballroom, Wrimos had to dig deep for that technical savvy and general ingenuity to rig up some quick solutions to electricity issues. Just another hurdle leapt, ma’am. Another hurdle leapt.

To reward such hard work, like an angel from some pastry-laden heaven, descended:

Donut Nurse. Psycho Donuts. Deeply disturbed. Deeply delicious.

Haha, I love how the responses to all the sugar got progressively more skeptical. The noir was getting to all of us. Don’t worry! We use our small allotment of power for good, not evil. It’s the NaNoWriMo way.

And finally, it wouldn’t be a proper Night of Writing Dangerously without the keynote speech by the ever-illustrious, imposingly-statured, man behind the doll himself: Chris Baty.

As the night wound down, Wrimos put the pedal to the metal and made those word counts rise:

Alas and alack, the Night of Writing Dangerously had to come to an end at some point. When all was said and done, of the 115 people who turned in their "Words Written Tonight" slips, RoseThorns was the victor, with a word count of 11,952 words. The table words wars total was 543,724 words(!) between the 108 who participated in the table wars.

Thank you to all the amazing people we here at National Novel Writing Month got to meet at the 2009 Night of Writing Dangerously. And here’s to 2010, and hoping to meet even more Wrimos next year!

It's the last day of November and that means the dreaded midnight deadline is only hours away. Pencils are about to come down, and Chris made an incredible and valiant effort this past holiday week, churning out three end-of-November covers for y'all.

To see all the covers Chris from Fwis has completed to date, you can check out this thread in the 30 Covers Forum, or take a peek at Chris' Cover Design Blog.

30 Covers, 30 Days: Final Batch (1)

Fragrance of the Crepe Myrtle - HMSChocolate

Crepe myrtles are flowering shrubs or trees native to East Asia, flowers are born in summer and autumn in panicles of crinkled flowers with a crepe-like texture. Colours vary from deep purple to red to white, with almost every shade in between. Some are very lightly scented. The myrtle is a symbol of love, mirth and joy.

Set in the 1700s in the golden era of the Qing dynasty of ancient China, a prince is kidnapped as a prisoner of war. Follow his wife as she goes on a journey to recover him. But even when she finds him, is he still the same person? Can she still find the man she loved somewhere inside the changed man she finds?

30 Covers, 30 Days: Final Batch (2)

Till minne av dig (In Your Memory) - Zahra

Sweden, present time: 17 year old Alexander has only one mission in life: to protect his baby sister Ebba from their abusive father. So when Ebba gets sick with cancer, Alexander wants to help by donating his bone marrow. But he discovers that he can't donate because he and Ebba are not siblings.

Alexander fights to find the truth about himself, but also to keep his life, because their father has decided that if Ebba dies, he'll make sure Alexander does, too. A story about how your world turns upside down when someone close to you is ill, about abuse, and about not knowing who you are...

30 Covers, 30 Days: Final Batch (3)

Nightmares & Cityscapes - JupiterStar

Once upon a time, the only way into the realm of dreams was through insanity or magic. But at some point in time, the real world became even more nonsensical and mad than dreams, and now people slip through into this world by accident every day. Darvan is a descendant of one of those accidents and has dedicated his life to helping the lost ones as his own mother was never helped.

This is the entity known as The City. Welcome home.

Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm for this project! I know Chris has had an amazing time embracing this challenge, in huge part because of the incredible community of Wrimos involved. Keep writing for all you who are racing towards that 50,000! And congratulations to all of you who are already NaNoWriMo Winners!

Who can resist this?

Fellow wrimos, this is an opportunity that, under any circumstances, cannot be passed up. Yes, it is indeed... tacos with Chris Baty, founder of NaNoWriMo and the madness that is November! Well, okay, he didn't exactly found the month of November, but he did give us all a reason to be excited about that 30-day wasteland between Halloween and Christmas (Thanksgiving, er, notwithstanding). Now let me tell you a little story about the history of this coupon...

Once upon a time (re: last year), a lucky wrimo named Tupelo won this golden ticket for lunch at a taqueria with Chris. She was, of course, overjoyed, but she held onto the coupon, saving it for what she dubbed "a taco emergency." Well, the opportunity never came. Soon afterwards, Tupelo joined the Office of Letters and Light's shipping crew, and found that she could have tacos with Chris whenever she wanted.

Now unlike most (traditional) fairy tales, Tupelo's happy ending means that she can spread the joy to one of you! So she's auctioning off the coupon on eBay, for anyone who may be desperate to meet & eat tacos with Chris. Now let us tell you, Chris is one accomplished man: he is the dashing author of "No Plot? No Problem! How to Write a Novel in Thirty Days," an athletic hackysack-er (don't let anyone tell you it's not a sport), and a dangerous lover... of Tim Tams and other sugary treats. We can't see why anyone wouldn't want to share a taco lunch with him.

So head over to eBay to bid on this golden opportunity! Bidding ends on Sunday, November 29th. Happy bidding!