Frequently asked questions
What have you been up to since the book came out?
Plenty—read about it here in the Beyond the Book page on my weblog!
How much of Poundy.com is in the book?
Maybe a quarter of the content is based on older entries, which I revised quite a bit. The rest is new material.
Can I read these old blog/journal entries? Or others that you mention in the book?
Most of them aren't online anymore, though I plan on reprinting selected entries eventually. If you're dying to see past incarnations of the site, try the Wayback Machine at archive.org.
Did the popularity of your site help you get the book published? You're one of those bloggers with a book deal, aren't you?
I was a writer long before I had my websites. I'm sure having an online audience didn't hurt, but publishing I'm Not the New Me wasn't just a matter of getting "discovered" by a publisher or agent and having a contract turn up in my email inbox. It took a few years to figure out what kind of book I wanted to write, and to find just the right agent.
Is Weight Watchers mad at you for putting their 1974 recipe cards in the book?
No, they seem to have a good sense of humor about the whole thing, and I'm always careful to mention that the recipes have nothing to do with the current Weight Watchers program.
Are you dieting now? How much do you weigh now?
You can check my blog to see whether or not I'm doing something lately. Or you're welcome to come to a reading or check out my Flickr page to see how fat I am.
Were names changed in the book? I recognize a few names of people who have online journals.
A few people who are close friends of mine appear under their real first names. Others have pseudonyms to protect their privacy, and a few are composite characters who represent more than one person. Some of the journallers, bloggers and websites mentioned in the JournalCon chapter are real; the rest are composites and are not intended to portray any one person.
Will you come read in my town? Are you adding dates to the tour?
Where I read depends on lots of things—where my publisher thinks I should go, whether I have other reasons to travel there, and so on. Only major authors get big all-expenses paid tours; the rest of us get to wherever we can any way we can. And since I work full-time, I'm limited by the number of vacation days I can take, and, of course, by my own budget. I'd love to visit more cities and I'm considering my options, but please keep in mind that time and money are always factors. If you have suggestions for cities and specific bookstores you can email me.
What about donating an autographed book for my charity auction?
Just contact me, and I'll let you know where to send a formal request on your organization's letterhead.
Will you visit or phone in to my book club discussion?
I might! Again, email me.
Wow, you're easy. Is there anything you won't do?
Sure! I'm afraid I can't discuss story ideas with you, critique your manuscript, or refer you to my agent or publisher. I likely won't endorse any product or program, and I don't review or blurb diet books. I may not be able to promote your cause or creative endeavor. I won't wear pointy-toed shoes. I won't pay more than twenty dollars for a lipstick. I won't eat ice cream on a stick if I can help it.
Why not?
Because the stick tastes woody and weird and scraping my teeth against it causes all kinds of distressing sensations in my mouth.
What are you eating ice cream for, anyway?
Research.