Oh, Sammy, What you Do To Me...

I realized I haven’t talked about Sammy Keyes in awhile, which is kinda weird considering that I’m super excited for Justice Jack coming out in July. I have a feeling it’s going to be my favorite *Insert smile*. Justice Jack is going to be the first book coming out on my “waiting for the next installment” list…my two other books are in August and October. (Then in whatever month Sin City is coming out in).

Man, do I miss Sammy. I love that girl, honestly. She’s brilliant (which comes from Wendelin, of course) and overall an amazing role model. There have been so many times where I’ve had a terrible day, felt stressed, or have gotten into a fight with a friend or a family member, and I can just sit down and reread Sammy Keyes, and I will be Little Miss Sunshine again; it makes my attitude do a 180.  I could be freaking crying, and I’ll pick up a book, and in less than 7 minutes (sorry about that weird number, but it just seems right) I will be laughing my face off.

Like when Sammy said, “I hate the way Danny laughs. It's one of those forced, kind of hacking laughs that sounds like a lawn mower that won't start. Ha-ha-ha. Ha-ha-ha. Like he needs a new spark plug." I cracked up when I read that- just the way she words stuff is amazing. (Actually, it’s technically Wendelin’s amazing wording, but Sammy IS real, no matter what people tell me!). Billy cracks me up as well, -"Is that a person?" Holly whispers. Billy's voice comes out all hoarse when he says, "That's no person. That's a beast." It might not be the “oh my gosh I am going to cry because this is so funny” stuff that people usually laugh at, but it’s so Billy, ya know?

Or when Casey, Marissa and Sammy have that one conversation: -
"Look," Casey says, "I don't know why we're acting so guilty. It's not like we really did anything wrong."

Marissa drills him with a look. "Ever heard of trespassing?"

I sling my arm around her and raise an eyebrow at Casey. "Yah, man. Ever heard of trespassing?"

It’s the kind of humor that you HAVE to know the characters and the story to understand why it’s funny. My little sister seriously knows a lot of the plots from my books that she hasn’t even read yet because I talk about them so much. Is that healthy? I think not.

Anyways, sometimes I just have to tell someone a joke/something that was funny in Sammy Keyes, and my little sister is usually the victim. But she’ll just stare at me and just have a question mark on her face. Now that I think about it, it may not be the joke that puts that look on her face, just my absolute freakish love for the books.

But the way Sammy words stuff reminds me of how I word stuff-in my head at least. I am mixture of Sammy and Holly-I have no Marissa in me whatsoever.

I have to share something with you. Yes, you. I’ve had a couple dreams…about 4 times. It has the same…plot, I guess you could say, but different settings. Well, in my dream, I was reading a book. That was my whole dream, reading that book. But I remember being so engaged in it, and that is was amazing. (One of the dreams was me reading the Demigod Diaries, but the rest were Sammy Keyes) and then I woke up and realized it was a dream, and I almost…cried. Yes, there were potential tears in my eyes, because I didn’t want to wait for months for my books. (Speaking of that, I seriously need to preorder Justice Jack…crap! How could I forget…again?)

I also had a dream last summer I believe, and it was a dream involving The Son of Neptune and a Sammy Keyes book (I think it was Wedding Crasher). Well, in the WC part, there was fire in a house, and Sammy and I think it was Marissa had to go into a burning building and they almost got murdered by a fat old man, but that’s not important. The important part is is that my books have become so…apart of my life, that I dream about them.

And you know what’s worse? (Okay, not worse as in worse) My family knows that if I’m super excited or jumping around squealing like a little girl, it’s because of my books. When I get mad, my mom seriously goes and tells me to go read a book (mostly Sammy Keyes) to cool off. Not to watch TV or listen to music like most people would do, but read.

And the reason I’m telling you all this is because I know a lot of you are like me-crazy book lovers. (Mostly Sammy Keyes, is it me, or have I been saying that a lot?)

Books give you so much wisdom, in my opinion. Wendelin’s recent post on her blog talked about how one of the major things you need in a successful story is a theme, and I think that’s very true. For me, I love to write thought provoking stories or fics; stories that have a purpose to it. If a book doesn’t make you think, then it’s a failure in my opinion. Being able to write, and to put your thoughts out on paper in a meaningful and clear way is talent. I mean, I have no talent when it comes to art-no way. I get so frustrated when it comes to trying to display my thoughts and heart into something tangible. I can’t do it. But the way I do it is through words. Writers are so creative; it takes a lot of talent to be one. It takes even more talent to be a writer who challenges the thoughts of the reader. Words can be so powerful, and, in my personal opinion, even more powerful than seeing it on a TV screen. (That might just be me though). I mean, with words and in books, I feel like I personally know the characters, that I’m there with them, going through the same struggles they are, feeling the same things as them. And to be completely honest with everyone, words can make me cry- and I mean cry. They’re just so powerful, and convey so much emotion.  It takes an artist is craft words into something that’s so powerful, thought provoking and life changing. To me, Wendelin is artist.

I know a lot of you SK fans have cried at WVD’s work (I know I have) and it’s always challenged me or given me hope in situations.

So that’s why I am giving Wendelin Van Draanen an award that doesn’t really exist (except in my heart). And that award is called The Best Overall Author Award (Or the TBOAA).I’ll come up with a better title later I think, but it’s pretty much what it sounds like ( The keyword being Overall). WVD is the best overall author because not only is she a great writer, but she uses her experiences to teach readers lessons, encourages aspiring writers, writes original and inspiring characters, and actually cares about people and her fans.

So, Wendelin, congrats, because you have made an imprint in life with your novels and blog. An imprint that no matter what, cannot be filled nor forgotten.