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| It's hard not to love Herbach. Why fight it? |
K-I-S-S-I-N-G,
first comes love
then comes...
Oh, um, hey there.
Don't mind me. I was just, um. . . *coughs*
You're in the right place. It's Friday, and this is Friday Feedback.
<----- And, that is me with Geoff Herbach. If you haven't heard of him, you should.
You can't have him, sorry.
But you can read him.
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| omg, omg, omg, you must read this! |
I AM STUPID FAST.
My name is Felton Reinstein, which is not a fast name. But last November, my voice finally dropped and I grew all this hair and then I got stupid fast. Fast like a donkey. Zing!
Now they want me, the guy they used to call Squirrel Nut, to try out for the football team. With the jocks. But will that fix my mom? Make my brother stop dressing like a pirate? Most important, will it get me girls-especially Aleah?
So I train. And I run. And I sneak off to Aleah's house in the night. But deep down I know I can't run forever. And I wonder what will happen when I finally have to stop."
and, this is his follow up (pretty much a sequel) Nothing Special:
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| is not allowed to buy this till she finishes other books ahead of it on TBR because she will bump EVERYTHING to read it |
I miss you. Because there's some serious donkey crap going on right now. I'm supposed to be at football camp, but noooo ... Andrew had to go missing! So because of my stupid little brother, I'll probably lose my chance at a scholarship and end up being nothing special.
I'm pretty sure Andrew ran away to Florida, and now Gus and I have to drive cross-country to get him. Did you know Gus used to think
Miss Piggy was hot? Anyway, Andrew once told me I needed to get my head out of my butt. So that's what I'm trying to do. How about a kiss for luck?
Felton"
And, in case you haven't figured it out yet, I LOVE him.
Yes, in the biblical sense.
Okay, fine, not exactly in the biblical sense.
More like in the trunk of a Crown Victoria sense:
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| Sorry ladies, Geoff can only have eyes for me. |
And, not just because he got me to my uber-awesome agent, Jim McCarthy, who just sold my next book to Algonquin for me. . .
But, also, because he can break dance. . .
And because he has made a series of some of the most awesome writing craft vids around (you're welcome for pointing those out to you);
And, okay, because he has written some of the most unique, laugh-out-loud, yet heartbreaking, characters there are.
So, that's the truth. I admit it. I love Herbach. And it's a gushy, mushy love.
I am not ashamed.
And I know you will love him, too.
So, without further (ridiculous) ado, for this Friday Feedback, I give you Geoff, and an excerpt from his still untitled Work In Progress, the third in the "Stupid Fast" franchise (due on shelves May, 2013!).
Remember, if you don't know the rules to Friday Feedback, please READ THEM FIRST HERE!:
Hey, thanks for all that gushing, Gae. I love you too. You are the bomb. You are the Juliet to my Romeo. You are my. . .
um, never mind, that wasn't Geoff. That was Gae writing all of that. Fine. Sue me. Whatever. It's my blog.
Here's Geoff for you:
In the
third book in the Stupid Fast series,
Felton and those around him are beginning to worry that the brutality he shows
on the football field is putting him on the same path of his dad. Felton is struggling with football culture
and jock culture and his place in a world full of bullies (he begins roughing
up jocks on behalf of geeks). This scene takes place early in the book when Felton’s
grandfather begins to show worry about how sports culture impacts his
family. I’m trying to write to serious
themes, but I never want to lose sight of full, real characters who are quirky
and funny. So, what do you think? Is it working here?
“Why
do you play such a brutal game?” Grandpa Stan asked me by the pool.
“It’s
fun.”
“Fun? Murder is fun?” he asked.
Grandpa
had been at Bluffton’s homecoming game in the fall. He and Andrew came up. We played Prairie du Chien and I sort of
destroyed them. Coach Johnson took me
out midway through the 3rd quarter, because we were ahead by a lot
and the Prairie players were sort of diving on the ground instead of hitting
me, because I’d crushed so many of them they’d gotten scared (I love that
feeling, knowing they’re scared of me – I start looking to hit them, instead of
running towards open field). Not only am
I fast but recruiters say, “He runs angry.”
It’s true. I do run angry. Grandpa Stan congratulated me after the game,
but his face was red and he couldn’t look me in the eyes. It hurt my feelings.
“I
don’t murder anybody. It’s a game. I score touchdowns.”
“You
could play golf. Have you ever played
golf?” Grandpa asked. “It’s very
relaxing.”
“I’m
one of the best football players in the country. I don’t want to play golf.”
“How
can that be fun? Breaking peoples’
backs?”
“I
get out my frustration… It makes me feel normal.”
“Okay,
okay,” Grandpa Stan waved his hand, dismissing the conversation.
Tovi
and Andrew splashed around. I rolled off
the chair, stretched in the sun, then cherry bombed the hell out of them.
- Geoff (& gae *swoons*)
p.s. Geoff is travelling today (Friday) but will be here Saturday to chime in!
p.p. s. if you missed it yesterday, and you're a #TeachersWrite camper, you're invited! Progress Pool Party, July 20th, via Spreecast! For details, click link.
