Meet the Author featuring Jen's Jewels at the Readers Place of Harford County Public Library

As with any memorable encounter, it always seems to happen in the most bizarre places. Take for instance my meeting Meg Cabot. It all happened one Friday morning in January 2003 on the set of Live with Regis & Kelly. Meg Cabot's book The Boy Next Door The

was selected as Kelly's January book-of-the-month pick and I was the lucky one chosen to join them at the roundtable. I packed my bags for New York City, boarded a train with my three friends in tow and set out for an adventure that would truly change my life. As I reflect back on it today, it is still hard to believe that I actually had a conversation with these two phenomenal women on national television.

As air-time quickly approached, I found myself heading to the restroom to check my hair and make-up for the umpteenth time. (Imagine that?!) Low and behold, who would be coming out of the stall with rollers in her hair but Meg Cabot! Quick! What do I say? I blurted out something which to this day I don't remember exactly what it was (something quite intelligent, I'm sure!) and then asked her if she was really Meg Cabot. (In retrospect, perhaps I could have thought of something wittier to say! Who else would she be?) She introduced herself and then asked who I was. What should I say? I was not a famous author or celebrity! I was just Jennifer Vido, regular joe, getting a shot at the big time, so to speak. Meg thought I WAS SOMEBODY! How ironic! This was turning out to be such a great day!

Whether she was just nervous about her first appearance on Live with Regis & Kelly and wanted some more time to fix her hair without me staring at her, my encounter with Meg Cabot made me feel like a million bucks. We managed to complete the segment without too much trouble (see below) and she happily signed autographs well after the show was over. She even signed my copy of THE BOY NEXT DOOR: Jennifer, A True Princess! Love, Meg Cabot. I am far from being a princess, but because of Meg Cabot, my fairy tale did come true.

Well, life goes on and Meg's THE PRINCESS DIARIES series has lit up the big screen. We have kept in touch over the years and Meg's generosity towards me has never ended. She donates books to my library functions and even sends me PRINCESS DIARIES paraphernalia for my fabulous niece, Kathryn Vido, who is one of her biggest fans! Now Meg has taken on a new role as a chick-lit mystery writer. There really is no end to this woman's talent! Go grab a cup of cocoa and catch up with the extremely talented and witty Meg Cabot!

JEN: Are you at all surprised about the amount of success that you have achieved?

MEG: Well, I certainly never thought I'd be writing books for a living, if that's what you mean! Writing has always been my hobby…it never occurred to me that I might be able to make money doing it. I sent off my first manuscript as kind of a lark, to see what would happen. It never did get published (nor did the second, or the third), but I figured I had nothing to lose by continuing to try, and I might actually make enough money to pay off my debts at Parade of Shoes.

JEN: Has it changed you as a person?

MEG: Not so much getting published, but getting published primarily in the YA genre—yes. It's very weird to know that you're a role model—which is really what I've become to a lot of young girls, thanks to the success of the films of The Princess Diaries, and the subsequent popularity of the books. I'm a total potty mouth in real life, and it's REALLY hard to keep it clean for my signings, etc. I've had a few embarrassing moments involving scandalized moms when I've accidentally let out the F word (half the time I don't even realize I've done it until I see their horrified expressions).

JEN: Is it harder now to write with the pressure of being a best-selling author?

MEG: Definitely. I can't help but be conscious of my audience and their needs and expectations, which are sometimes radically different from mine, especially with the teen series like THE PRINCESS DIARIES. I've lost readers due to some of my narrative decisions (the films are rated G—the books are DEFINITELY PG and higher). One of my most beloved characters had premarital sex with her long-term boyfriend in a recent release (READY OR NOT), a decision that did NOT go down well some readers and their moms. But I have to stay true to my original vision for the story, and ignore what readers are saying they want. And it seems to be working—READY OR NOT was number one on the kids' Times bestseller list for four weeks this past summer.

JEN: Do you still enjoy writing as much as you did when your first began your career?

MEG: Oh, my God, I love it more than ever. What I love best is, now that I'm getting paid to do it, my friends and family actually LET me work, and aren't going, “Come on, take a break,” anymore. Well, not as much, anyway.

JEN: If you could change one thing that happened during your climb to fame, what would it be?

MEG: Wow. I know it's horrible to say, but I probably wouldn't have written the smutty adult romances (SHE WENT ALL THE WAY, and my historical romances under Patricia Cabot). I love those books, but it is TOTALLY EMBARRASSING when a 12 year old comes up to me at book signings holding one. Particularly since they INVARIABLY say, “I love the scene where they do it in the sink!” and I want to die. Although there's a sex scene in SIZE 12, so I guess I can't help myself, really.

JEN: Who was most surprised by your success?

MEG: You know, I just had my 20 th high school reunion (which I couldn't go to, but I heard from a few people about it) and the one thing I kept hearing over and over again was, “Well, of COURSE Meg Cabot is best-selling author now.” So apparently the only person who was surprised by any of this was me, since I never thought anyone would actually want to PAY MONEY to read my stuff.

JEN: Which book are you most proud of and why?

MEG: I always love the book I'm working on right now…which, as of this writing, happens to be the sequel to SIZE 12 IS NOT FAT. It's called PHAT CHICK, and I am just loving it. But as soon as I'm done and move on to something else (PRINCESS DIARIES 8), I know THAT will become my new favorite.

JEN: Which novel was your most unexpected hit?

MEG: That would definitely be THE PRINCESS DIARIES. That book was rejected by something like 17 different editors before landing on the desk of my current one, who was an assistant editor at the time, and had to BEG to get it in print (I think I got an $8,000 advance for it, which at the time, was like, WOW)! Now she's a senior editor and has an office instead of a cubicle. She's even got a window! And I get a lot more than $8,000 per book.

JEN: Do you set daily writing goals and do you stick to them?

MEG: Well, I set them. I try to do at least one chapter (ten pages) a day. Does it work? No. Which is why, closer to my deadline, I have to up it to TWO chapters!

JEN: As I mentioned earlier, we met on the set of Live with Regis & Kelly. Was that your first television appearance? Was it what you had expected?

MEG: It was my first experience with LIVE TV, and I totally didn't expect Gelman's wife to turn to me right off the bat and say she didn't believe the story and didn't like the main character (her exact words were: “I don't believe a gossip columnist could have a heart.”) I realize now that I should have just smiled and been like, “Really?” but instead I tried to argue with her—because it so wasn't true! And even to say that, on live TV, to my FACE??? I thought I covered it pretty well though, until I got home and my husband was ashen-faced, going, “WHAT HAPPENED? YOU FROZE LIKE CINDY BRADY!”

JEN: How did you feel seeing your book up on the big screen? Did you have to pinch yourself to make sure you weren't dreaming?

MEG: It was really odd, but completely thrilling to see someone else's vision of my story and characters. Of course, it was totally unlike my OWN vision. But I definitely enjoyed it. So long as readers know that what happens in the BOOKS is what REALLY happens, I'm fine with whatever Hollywood does to my characters—within reason. It's hard to take a 300 page book and turn it into a 90 minute movie and not lose SOMETHING in the translation.

JEN: Are you recognized on the street? What is the most memorable fan encounter?

MEG: Ha! No, never. Oh, no, wait, I lied—not long ago there was a disturbance on my block, and when the cops showed up they were like, “Hey, aren't you the author of THE PRINCESS DIARIES?” But that was only because one of them had taken his daughter to a signing a few months earlier. Key West is a small town! It was hilarious. Well, probably not to the drunk they were arresting, but to me.

JEN: Who is the one person in this business that you admire most and why?

MEG: I really admire Nora Roberts, though I've never gotten to meet her. I particularly like the way she's been able to satisfy reader demand for new books (QUANTITY) while also maintaining the same level of QUALITY in her writing. That's tricky enough, but the fact that she's also such an all around stand-up gal, really professional, and always looking out for the interests of her readers and less well known authors. She is just such a class act. And a great writer! BORN IN ICE is one of my all time favorite romances.

JEN: Your new book that just came out is SIZE 12 IS NOT FAT, which I loved by the way! Why write a mystery series?

MEG: Thanks! I actually started out wanting to be a mystery writer—my first (never published) manuscripts were all mysteries. So I was delighted when Avon accepted my proposal for my own mystery series. It's really a dream come true.

JEN: How did you come up with the title?

MEG: It's a line from the book, but it wasn't originally the title. The original title was SUGAR RUSH, and my editor felt the line Heather keeps saying—“Size 12 Is Not Fat!” would make a better title. I usually don't get to keep my original titles anyway, so I'm used to them being changed. At least this one was one I came up with myself!

JEN: When will the sequel be published?

MEG: PHAT CHICK will be out this time next year. If I finish it on time (don't worry, I will).

JEN: Your web site is fabulous. Please tell us what you like about it and why it's so different than the typical author's website.

MEG: Oh! Well, thank you. Actually, the site just went through a major overhaul. It has an all new look for 2006. It's a site designed (with my input) and maintained by my publisher, and I'm really grateful for them taking it off my hands. With as many releases as I have every year, it's tough to keep the look of the site fresh, and I think we've accomplished that—and thank goodness I don't have to do it alone anymore. I have enough to deal with my online book club for teens, www.megcabotbookclub.com. It's no joke, dealing with message boards on which thousands of teenage girls post daily! I tell everyone, “I don't ever need to have kids…I already have 10,000 of them!”

JEN: Any appearances or scheduled book tours?

MEG: Thankfully, no—my publisher is giving me the year off! Although I will be stopping by the Lee County Book Festival in Florida in March in time for the release of PRINCESS DIARIES 7, PARTY PRINCESS. I will be on tour again this summer for my new adult romantic comedy release, QUEEN OF BABBLE, and a teen romantic comedy called HOW TO BE POPULAR. I'll have to keep you posted on where I'll be appearing, since I don't even know yet!

Thanks for having me on your site! It's been a real pleasure!

Thank you, Meg, for allowing our readers a peak into your world. As part of this interview, Meg has agreed to send 25 of our readers a copy of
Size 12 is Not Fat.! All you need to do is send me an e-mail saying that you read my column and that you would like a copy of Meg's book! It's that simple! Good luck!

Next month, I will be bringing to you an interview with Kristin Hannah, the writer of the Magic Hour! You won't want to miss it!