Monday, February 15, 2010

Ask LiLa: Random Questions

This week we've got some interesting questions (and some rather pathetic answers) from the hilariously random Simon.

Um... You did ask, right? Okay. Just checking. 'Cause I'm just going to go stream of consciousness here...

1. Why don't we see teenage zombies in love in books if we've got werewolves and vampires and stuff having heart palpitations all over the place?

Zombies are distinctly unloveable. We think it has something to do with the fact that they're comprised of rotting flesh. BUT...perhaps this is a gap in the market? Idea whore file here we come...

2. Why do you guys live in Ohio? Seriously. I know what Ohio's like. I've been to Youngstown.

Dude, haven't you seen the tourism videos? Cleveland ROCKS. Um, and two words for you: free babysitting. All of our relatives live here. Doesn't get much better than that.

3. If I ask questions in stream-of-consciousness mode, what are the odds that one's going to pop out that you'll actually answer?

Surprisingly good.

4. Wouldn't your vlogs be funnier if you wrote soundtracks and choreographed dance numbers for them?

Why, yes, yes they would be. But they'd also be humiliating and potentially damaging to our reputation as serious authors who write serious books and take themselves very seriously. Yeah, we totally couldn't get through that last part without laughing.

5. Why haven't you watched Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog yet, if NPH is one of your favorite people ever?

Dammit. I love me some Neil Patrick Harris and I have no good answer for this question. I will watch it this week and post a review. Pinky swear promise.

6. Did you see NPH in the superbowl commercials last night? And if so, did you call that number? You know you did. What happened when you called it?

Um, you know we're allergic to football, right? Totally missed the commercials. I was watching Emma on PBS. Sadly, Mr. Knightly didn't hold up signs with toll free numbers, but if he did I totally would have called.

7. Am I going to run out of odd questions before my fingers get tired of typing?

*Waits patiently for Simon to answer his own question*

8. No.

Victory!

9. Should I keep going till I reach ten random questions?

Looks like we're sort of committed at this point. I mean we could stop at nine, but ten is such a nice, round number.

10. Why don't you say "douche" in your blog posts? You can totally get away with it, y'know.

Here's the thing, our book is going to be marketed to "savvy tweens." We're guessing these faceless young women are probably familiar with the term "douche-bag," but we figure we might be slightly less offensive to their parents if we continue to use the "d-bag" euphemism. This is just one of the many little white lies we like to tell ourselves.

11. If you could have lunch with any YA author, living or dead, what would you get to drink?

First off, we'd totally have lunch with Simone Elkeles. We have a girl crush on her right now. Have you seen her book trailer for PERFECT CHEMISTRY? She totally seems like our kind of girl, no? Also, I'm in the middle of LEAVING PARADISE right now and it rocks.

Anyways, I think it goes without saying what we'd be drinking at lunch with Simone. Prosecco! Duh.

Er.. there. You're welcome.

Cheers,

Simon

Thanks for playing Simon!

Do you have any questions you're just dying to have us answer? Send us an e-mail at lisa-laura(at)live.com. Come on, you know you want to...

35 comments:

Tana said...

I love how you have your readers best interest at heart. *goes off to really edit her own post*

Christina Lee said...

Um excuse me-- you just happen to have a writer friend over here who wrote a totally lovable zombie YA novel (no rotting flesh). It just so happens to be collecting dust in my "give it up already" file--*crying*.
Oh and dude, Youngstown is sooo not Cool Cleveland where WE live! Right LiLa?
xoxo

Katie Anderson said...

How did I not know about LEAVING PARADISE????

Because I just finished the second to PC?! What is going on here?

Must go to Amazon now! And can I come to your Simone dinner? Please?

Stina said...

I can't wait to read the sequels to both Perfect Chemistry and Leaving Paradise! For lovable zombies, you need to check out the Generation Dead series.

Unknown said...

Haha! If I'd been watching TV that day, I would have been watching Mr. Knightly. I'm allergic to football as well. Loved this Q and A! I have a question. Could you be anymore fun? Honestly, I think not.

Kerri Cuev said...

Zombies = Night of the Living Dead nuff said!

Melissa (i swim for oceans) said...

Leaving Paradise = Excellent! I loved this :)

Frankie Diane Mallis said...

LOL! I love Simon and I love you two, perfect combination for hilariousness to ensue!

Kristy said...

LOL, that was fun! More Simon questions!

Carolyn V. said...

Emma was on PBS and I missed it?! *growl*

I would love to see you guys dance and sing in your vlog. I would take you seriously (but I do write humor/suspense, so I might not be a good choice of opinion).

Alissa Grosso said...

Great answers and fun questions, and the Perfect Chemistry trailer is awesome.

Anonymous said...

You DEFINITELY should do a dance sequence!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I guess after the Drew Carey show I do have kind of a soft spot for Cleveland. I'll let you slide on that one. And Dr. Horrible isn't just NPH, it's NPH singing! With Death Rays! And the Evil League of Evil! And Bad Horse (with his terrible death whinny)! Sheesh!

And, um... would it be impolite to point out the s-bomb in one of your posts a few days ago? And this is worse than the d-bomb? *scratches head*

But thanks for answering my questions, ladies. Y'all are kind to indulge my silliness. It almost makes we want to come up with more questions for you... ;)

Conda Douglas said...

Oh ho, who knew the dead could be so much fun...reading?!

Jemi Fraser said...

Simon always has the best & strangest questions :) Great answers!

erica m. chapman said...

So funny! Simon - you sound like a real card... I'm not sure zombies have thoughts like love? I liked your answer! LOL Thanks for always entertaining us ;o)

Dara said...

Best questions and answers ever! :P

And your reasons for living in Ohio are the same as mine (except I don't have kids yet...but when I do, there's the free babysitting).

Although after the third snowstorm in less than two weeks, I'm about ready to say screw it and move farther south. :P

Mariah Irvin said...

Never seen Dr. Horrible?!?!

GO WATCH IT RIGHT NOW!!!

Christine Danek said...

Great Q & A--I like the teenage zombie idea;)

JESSJORDAN said...

What? 11 questions? I'm feeling all disoriented now.

Simon, you're hilarious.

Kelly Lyman said...

So funny. You gals and Simon make a hilarious team.

Rebecca Knight said...

I agree with Mariah--it's a CRIME that you haven't seen Dr. Horrible yet! Don't make me mail you my DVD just to make it happen! *shakes fist*

Also, what YA book would you love to read that hasn't been written yet? Also, do you think once we exhaust paranormal creatures, we'll have books about teenage girls falling in love with robots? :)

Great Q&A, guys!

Unknown said...

Your blog puts a smile on my face everyday!! Thanks for this hilarious post!

Marsha Sigman said...

I am fairly certain my son is a teenage zombie. His flesh is not rotting but his room smells like it's close.

I love the Q & A, and I would just like to throw in that I could stand to see a dance number or two.

Lori W. said...

Very fun Q & A. I'd love to see some singing and dancing in the vlogs, too!

Joanna said...

Dude. Dr. Horrible rocks! Ms. Keplinger made me watch it after I made her watch The Princess Bride. Pretty good deal.

Carolina M. Valdez Schneider said...

Only Simon would ask about Zombie YA *considers smacking Simon on the back of the head, but shakes own head instead*

Brilliant answers to terrifyingly strange (albeit, wicked awesome)questions.

Oh, I too would like to see a dancing vlog. I think you could make it just right for your savvy tweens. Like, for example, you can teach them the macarena, and they would be smart enough to know that you've probably had half a bottle of Prosecco beforehand without you having to tell them, so they won't think you're crazy...just totally hip. Except maybe it shouldn't be the macarena. That's kind of d-baggy. Roger Rabbit? Electric Slide? Hmmm....

Ryan S. Kinsgrove said...

Sits down and furiously scribbles out random ideas about how to work a zombie love story...Maybe this is why its hard to do...Its really hard to fall in love with someone that doesn't think, smells like rotten gym socks, and eats the strangest things...

Then again, why does romance work at all? The description not only covers zombies, but it also covers my time spent in high school. Shudder.

Maybe that's why I didn't find true romance until I went to college:)

Unknown said...

ha ha ha ha! thanks for making me smile on my funkalicious day.

Jackee said...

Ohhh! So *that's* what d-bag stands for. Thanks for clearing that up, Simon. :D

Unknown said...

*Giggles*

Even when you write stream-of-consciousness, I use more commas than you. (Not saying that's good. Just sayin'.)

And you totally need to see Dr. Horrible. Seriously. Like now. Like amstist. Because that is my verification word and it sounds like it means "hurry up".

:)

Little Ms J said...

I would like to argue that the zombies in Michael Jackson's Thriller were fresh to def. As I always wanted to be a fly girl and had a pair of my own parachute pants in the 80's I could see a love story, but only if the damsel got to howl at the moon and walk on shiny sidewalks. No dancing? Meh.

Elana Johnson said...

You guys are my favorite people. I can't wait to see a vlog of your first writing panel at a conference. You could totally rock the place.

Anissa said...

Fantastic! Gotta love stream of consciousness questions.

- said...

Um, Ohio is for winners. Thanks for giving it a good name ;)

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