So. I am generally always for the underdog. Unless the underdog is a serial killer or something like that. Then, you know, I have reservations.

But I am definitely FOR K. L. Going’s Fat Kid Rules the World. It’s the story of a fat kid who discovers Punk (yes, that’s Punk with a capital P and that rhymes with Kicks Ass and that stands for Awesome) and I was so psyched to hear that Matthew Lillard (an actor with credits like The Descendants, Scooby Doo, etc. etc. and other films I won’t hold against him because he’s cool) had made a film of it.

It’s like the little film that could. Everywhere it’s been shown it has garnered great reviews and inspired people and made them cry, etc. etc. But Hollywood doesn’t know how to distribute a film like this. It’s not SEXY. It’s a film about a fat kid. And Punk. With no Sid Vicious.

So they’ve gone to Kickstarter, the great equalizer of our Internet times, and are trying to raise $150,000 to distribute the film themselves. I am so donating as soon as I can figure out what’s more important to me (a 7″ vinyl with songs specially written for the film by Mike McCready of freaking PEARL JAM or a finished DVD of the film) or if my husband would kill me if I donate enough to also get an autographed copy of the book (hey, honey, it could be my birthday present that you never bought me, okay?).

So. What I’m saying is…get over there and check it out. Go Donate. You can donate as little as a $1. WORTHY CAUSE, people.

And, in other rambly disconnected news, I had my first Skype Video chat in ages yesterday (Thursday). BUT WAIT. First I should explain something. On Wednesday I got sick. Probably food poisoning, though I swear it might have been an alien hell-bent on revenging some imagined slight because it was THAT BAD. Thought my head was going to explode. Couldn’t even keep down water.

When it started, I was home alone with The Max. Who is the sweetest kid ever, right? So when I go in the bathroom to develop a meaningful relationship with the porcelain god, he comes in and sits next to me. With his iPad. Because that’s how he rolls. I tell him, in-between big gulps of air, that he can go sit on the bed or something. He doesn’t have to be there. This is how it goes:

The Max: No, Mommy, I stay right here with you. (pats me on the back) I love you, Mommy.

Me: [use your imagination, I don't wanna gross you out any more than you already are]

The Max: Poor Mommy! (pause) Mommy, that’s really yucky. (longer pause) Mommy, why did you do that?

Yeah. That was Wednesday. It was a bad night. And…baddabing…I had a Skype call with a middle school book club scheduled for Thursday! I woke up yesterday morning feeling…well, not as bad as Wednesday night, but still roughly like road kill. Dehydrated road kill. I took a long shower. I tentatively drank a Sprite. I actually ate some soup (I won’t even go into my chicken broth trauma). I pulled myself together. With MAKEUP.

This is me. Skype-ready.

And……I did it! I made it through the Skype video chat with the kids (who were really, really great and asked awesome questions and had cool names and one of them even had on a Hogwarts sweatshirt). It was fun! And I didn’t throw up! (And no, I didn’t regale them with any of this backstory either. That’s just for you weirdos that actually read my blog. Don’t you feel special now?)

So. The point of that was (surprise!)…I’d really love to Skype with your group (book group, library, classroom, whatever). This one was set up through that special thing I’m doing for librarians who order Cat Girl’s Day Off for their library. But, hey, if you’re a teacher or a book club…um…organizer? you can get in on the action too. Now that I’m living over here in London, Skype is the easiest way to actually get to talk to my US readers. And I love you guys. I miss you. *sniffle*

Enough of that. I’m getting maudlin now and I can barely even say the word.

In Cat Girl news…there are now 14 reviews over on Amazon! Woot! Thank you everyone who has posted a review! Believe it or not, those really DO make a big difference. If you’ve read Cat Girl and haven’t posted a review…please, pretty please, pleasety-please do. I would really appreciate it. While I am seriously psyched that all the big-time-y review places (Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, and The School Library Journal) all gave the book great reviews, it’s the reviews from readers that really make my heart beat faster (um, don’t tell that to Kirkus, okay?).

Or, you know, heck. You could buy the book if you haven’t already. And tell your friends about it. That’d give me chills. I’d really like to write a sequel. (hint, hint)

And here’s where I go full circle and actually somewhat tie this feeble-minded blog post together. Here’s where I’m really feeling the whole Kickstarter Fat Kid mission up there. Cat Girl’s Day Off isn’t exactly a mainstream book (even though the Booklist reviewer, bless her, likens it to a Meg Cabot book). It’s got half-Asian characters with funky colored hair. Frenetic gay teenagers. A pink cat. Nunchucks. Ferris Bueller references. I can’t tell you how many reviews I’ve already seen where the reviewer starts off with some variant of: “I wasn’t sure about picking up this book but I’m glad I did…”

See, it’s an everybody book. People just don’t know it yet.