As some of you may know, the lease on Casa de INTERN+Techie Boyfriend/Hippie Roommate/Vampire Roommate is up at the end of this month (there is, in fact, already a craigslist post out there trying to snare the next renter with extravagant promises of vibrant white walls and sometimes-functional power outlets). Hippie Roommate has already decamped for her biotech manfriend's more upscale digs, leaving behind packets of millet flour and organic apple cider vinegar which INTERN is scrambling to use up in the next two weeks. Vampire Roommate's worldly possessions consist of a bare mattress and a giant bong in whose glassy chamber he could almost certainly take up residency if it weren't so wet. INTERN has been vigorously putting things into a Giveaway Pile, and Techie Boyfriend has been removing things from the Giveaway Pile with about 3.7 times as much vigor.
This morning, INTERN was putting together a box of the free books she's collected over the course of her various internships, and out fell a page of scribbled notes from her "orientation meeting" with Executive Ed. INTERN is not much of a note taker:
"Amazon = bad"
and
"No books based on Peace Corps!!!"
The rest of the page was covered with doodles of squids.
In a weird way, those two statements, plus the squids, could be said to sum up the entire editorial policy of Venny McPulitzer.
Anyway, INTERN had better wrap up this post so she can bike down to the used bookstore and offload what feels like Venny McP's entire catalogue in exchange for some sweet, sweet store credit.
INTERN is feeling very happy today! Thank you to all of you for being so charming and delightful!
Ha! SQUID is the not so secret secret word to use when subbing to a particular children's book editor. Maybe there was something from her involved in that note taking session that you've since forgotten.
ReplyDeleteDon't forgot to do your 80's movie montage walkthrough of the bare apartment to a Journey song. Essential move out policy.
ReplyDeleteJosin: INTERN is genuinely mystified by this reference! Perhaps she has not been reading a certain children's book editor's blog closely enough :)
ReplyDeleteHa Ha - cool post! Very funny - especially Hippie and vampire room-mate. You've cheered me up on a quiet Friday evening.
ReplyDeleteHehehe.
ReplyDeleteIt's Cheryl Klein at Arthur A. Levine. It's her "did you read the guidelines" test for submitting authors. And apparently, it's a hit in the mail room to see all those envelopes with "SQUID" on the front.
Excellent blog, INTERN. Could I please request a future blog to be about why or why not Amazon = bad?
ReplyDeleteJosin - could the mystery agent be Cheryl Klein?
ReplyDeleteShe explains it under her address for submissions on this page, which seems to be from an old version of her website, though squids do appear in her current FAQ/blog.
Of course, it could just be INTERN was thinking of lunch.
And INTERN - you're the charming and delightful one. We just have good taste in our blogs.
You can always move back to Canada - the weather is sooooo nice here. Hey, I have a book idea to pitch, it's about my time in the er, peace corp ...
ReplyDeletethis whole squid thing is getting more and more cryptic! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Josin, for answering my question before I asked. (The Force is with you.)
ReplyDeleteNow off to spend the weekend writing the perfect book for her: Captain Nemo and the Seekers of Squidditch.
Doodling squid is interesting. I usually doodle house plants.
ReplyDelete:)
G.