Thursday, January 22, 2009

Best Friends Forever!

Did you and your best friends ever share a notebook in school? You know, one of those notebooks that you passed back and forth and wrote each other notes? Well, with the help of author Kasie West (http://kasiewest.blogspot.com/), it looks like I've just stumbled onto my next series after The Austen Series. It's for young YA older MG and it's super cute! Here's a little blip that I'm using in the query:

BFF Notebook is a diary of sorts written by two thirteen year old girls as they pass a notebook back and forth and write notes to each other. They don’t want to get caught texting so they come up with this idea to fool their teachers into thinking that they are really doing class work. What they never expect is to solve a mystery at the same time.

Yep. A love mystery. Both Abigail and Riley are getting secret admirer notes! Who are they from? The two really hot guys they have crushes on? Or the two guys they despise most in the world? Or is it all a mean prank set up by Ashley Silverman to ruin their eighth grade year?
As their fast paced, daily story unfolds through these letters the girls learn the true meaning of friendship, loyalty, love and just how important school really is.

Kasie and I discussed this idea--just laughing and thinking about it, more as a fun joke than anything. Before we knew it (10 days later) we had a complete 40K MS staring at us. We FINISHED YESTERDAY!!!!

YES! It's true, Kasie and I wrote entries back and forth, as if we were really the Abby and Riley and created a whole book in a week and a half! I'm amazed at how--not only fast of a writer she is--but also how easy it was for this book to gel together. And now that we're finished we've already got 15 (Kasie, i've come up with 6 more!) new ideas for sequels.

So here's a very ROUGH DRAFT first entry of the concept. Let me know what you think!

So, OMGosh Abby!!!! I just came up with the most best idea ever! I mean like, way better than any other brilliant genius plan I’ve ever had before. Like, remember last summer when I totally had that idea to TP Ashley Silverman’s tent during camp? And then we found those old boy shoes and made prints all around outside—so then everyone blamed it on the boys camp? Hehehe! And Ashley went around thinking she was all way hotter than she was? Remember that? OK, so this is like 10x better than that! Eeeeh!
So are ya ready?
Are ya?
Here it is! You’re sooo gonna love me 4Ever! (I mean, I know you already do, but… OK! OK! I’ll get on with it!)
I think we should totally do this. That’s it. THIS! Check it out. I’ve had this extra notebook roaming around in my bag—because we were supposed to need one for math, but now Ms. Gibbons said we don’t. Anyway, my mom was telling me about how she used to do this with her best friend when she was our age. So I was like, we so have to do this.
So here’s the deal. I have the notebook, I write in it. Then I send it to you. Once you’ve written in it--you send it back. And we totally tell each other all about… well, whatever! It’ll be like writing notes—or texting each other. Except then we won’t get caught! LOL! Our teachers will so think we’re writing in our notebooks! Eeeh! How awesome is that, right? I know, I know, you can thank me later! LOL!
Well, what do you think? You wanna? I’m so gonna pass this off to you when I see you next hour. I can’t wait for you to open it and see this! Hahah! I’m gonna be watching you. Muhaha! OK, gotta go—the bell is so ready to ring!
Later-
Riley


23 comments:

  1. I love the idea. See, I've always said great ideas develop "after" my time. I would have loved to read this type of story when I was a teenager. Never heard of a BFF notebook until my daughter became a pre-teen. Can't wait to read more. Don't you just love writing YA novels???? I DO!

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  2. Okay, we totally did this in high school. Man, I wish I still had them. Remeber when I left it in Mike's car and I was so sure Matt read it? Bad day.You're so awesome. I've always wanted to write, but I just never can think of a good enough plot.
    I miss you too. I emailed you a little while ago. Did you get it? or are you ignoring me?

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  3. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JENNI JAMES IS A GENIUS!!!!!!!!!! AND SHE'S MY FRIEND!!!!!!!!! (how did I get so lucky?)

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  4. What a fun project! I love YA too! You and Kasie must have had a blast writing this. I can just see you two giggling over your computers and letting it all pour out.

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  5. Ang! YES! I love writing for teens! they're so much fun and they're so old and wise and clueless all at the same time! It's awesome!

    Holly! OMGOSH! I totally forgot about that! ACK!!!! That was soo funny! So if you don't have the books, and I don't have the books... then Michelle must! I LOVED those books! they were awesome!

    Kasie! LOL! yeah, that's cuz you haven't known me that long! LOL! You're still excited! hahaha! And hello? NO one else on the planet could've written as fast as you, I'm telling you! that was awesome!

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  6. Lotus girl--Words cannot express how much to grown women can giggle over their computers! LOL! It was soo much fun! And so funny! We NEVER knew what the other was going to write, so it was super hilarious!

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  7. Okay you two are amazing. Obsessive and Amazing. I can't believe you finished this project in 10 days!! It really is an awesome idea. I told Kasie that it makes me want to pull out my shoebox of notes that I saved from Jr. High and compare them to the notebook. :)

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  8. HEEHEE!!!! That is so funny! Me and Kari had a couple notebooks like that. I think she still has it somewhere.It was dark green and everyday we would pass it to eachother!!LOL! That brought back so many memories. We didn't let anybody see what we had written in it! Now I am going to have to ask her wehre that is? I can't wait to see that book! YOu are too funny. And amazing!

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  9. How ever do you think up so much stuff so fast?? Your brain must be wired differently than mine!!

    and yes, my daughter had one of those notebooks.

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  10. Cool idea! I remember writing notes on my friends' notebooks in elementary school.

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  11. Candi--OMGosh! You have all your old notes saved??? I so wish! that would be a hoot to read some of those! And yeah, I guess I am obsessive!

    Melissa--Aww! now I wish i had your book too! LOL! I know me and Holly Waite and Michelle Culler did some, and I think Tiff and I did one. They were so much fun!

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  12. Terri--that's cool that your daughter did this! I just can't believe it hasn't been done before, with two authors like this. LOL! I'm positive I only come up with ideas because the Lord helps me. HONEST! LOL!

    Melissa M--OMGOSH! So do I! they were so much fun to do! Thanks!

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  13. You guys already know I love this idea. My friends and I had several of these in high school but we mostly used them in AP psychology where we all breezed through and sat at the same table LOL. :D

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  14. My friends and I had one of these!!! We passed it around between about 5 of us. It was such a blast. I'd forgotten all about that until now... crazy!

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  15. Jenn--OK so you'll have to tell me what you think of it, and if it lived up to your expectations! I wish i still had my books, oh well, it sure would've been fun to go back and reread them.

    Julie--5!!! Wow! that's crazy! It was hard to follow what was happening in the book with just two authors, I can't imagine five. I bet it helped though, since you guys already knew who each other was talking about! How fun! I'm impressed! I think you hold the record for the most BFF authors in a notebook! Awesome!

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  16. I like that idea and think it would be a great hit with all the girls. I even think my kindergarteners would soak it up.
    LOL

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  17. That's a cute concept. It should work well.

    Have fun with it!

    Morgan Mandel
    http://morganmandel.blogspot.com

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  18. Wow! Y'all go!!! Congrats on your new hot property. ;)

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  19. Hi Jenni!
    I just wanted to introduce myself... I'm Candi's little sister and Kasie's almost sister:) I LOVE reading their stuff! Well, I should inform you that after many minutes of pure entertainment, I love your "stuff" too! Write on!!!

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  20. Steph!--Thanks! You know, it's crazy, but I think I would've DIED for this series. Already my daughter thinks it's WAY cooler than my austen series! LOL!

    Morgan--Thanks, it's been incredibly fun so far, we'll see where it goes!

    Angie--Thanks! And I'm excited to see how your new book comes along! I'm routing for you!

    Nicki!--WAHOO! Welcome Daw-ling! I must inform you that their is nothing I love better than people who "get" my quirky sense of humor! LOL!

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  21. I love it!! And you make it sound so realistic! I must have been a real big dork in h.s. because I never had one!! Dang!

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  22. Genius! You guys are amazing. What a cute idea! I can see this selling really well! Woo Hoo!

    My twin sister and I used notebooks all through Junior High and High School (since we didn;t have cell phones back then, ha.) Anyway, there are some freakin' hilarious entries in there. So fun!

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  23. Renee! Wow! Thanks! And how cool was that? You have a twin that you got to BFF notebook with? That's awesome!

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