Well, call me Judy because I was super judgy.

I have written half of The Dirty Book Club about nine times in the past four years. It’s an ambitious project that spans generations, includes secret rituals, funny conversations about dirty books, and great characters in their early 30s with lives that need some serious fixing. And it’s HARD!

My latest start-over was this January. Among other things I changed it from a novel with multiple points of view to a novel with one main voice. Now, seven months later I am on page 175 of a very crappy first draft. Some days are fun. Most suck. But I truly believe in this more than anything I’ve ever done. But those damn voices in my head!! They won’t stop yammering.

Lisi, you’re writing for grown-ups now. Lisi, your friends are going to read this. Lisi, your kids’ teachers are going to read it.

Oprah might. Your parents will for sure. So will the neighbors. And what about those opinionated book club members? You better not mess this up!!

This morning I wondered why I never went through this anxiety with the Clique. Sure, there were uninspired days and major burnout, but for the most part writing that series was pure joy. It’s not that I didn’t care about what you thought. It’s just that, well, I didn’t let myself care. I wrote what I wanted to write. Critics be damned! I let myself show up on those pages like some freak at a cheerleader’s party intent on dominating the dance floor.

It’s been twelve years since the first Clique came out. You’re older now. Old enough to read The Dirty Book Club, that’s for sure. So I have named you my muses. The girls I’ve felt safe with since 2003. The ones who accepted me for the flawed and fabulous person that I am. I will think of you as I struggle to complete this first draft. Because you always understood me and you always supported me–way more than Oprah!

Long live My Clique!!!

TTYW,

Lisi

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I’ve just returned from an adventure in Mexico City.  It is THE coolest place. Safer than Los Angeles with cafes and restaurants everywhere. I didn’t even have to forego my Starbucks addiction to visit.

Starbucks in Mexico City! Cafe olé! Although, my dreams of being a Mexican mannequin have been flattened. Literally. See below.

I have no jokes for this picture because it’s not funny. But you had to see.

Fried crickets…

Ant eggs. Oh yes I dzid.

Oatmeal.

sorry not sorry.

Goatmeal.

Of course there were plenty of mariachi bands… And one particularly popular photo bomber. Check him out below.

Then there was this little guy crashing all of our meals.

I should mention there’s a place in my heart (and head) for garlands. Admittedly. Since I’m no longer 18 I will only wear them on vacation. Lucky Mexico.

Mexico City did my brain wonders, although I didn’t leave The Dirty Book Club back in the states. I had all the characters next to me poolside as I retooled plot lines and reworked pages. I’ll be updating the DBC character boards on Pinterest next week. Be sure to check them out so you can follow their development as I go, and don’t forget about my Facebook. Friday I’ll be posting videos of my favorite friend made in Mexico City.

TTYW,

Lisi

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Okay fine, I’ll own it. I dropped the Blah-g yesterday. I’m sorry. But I happened to be inside this theater attending an ah-mazing concert and I didn’t have time to post.

If you don’t know this band of three badass and extremely talented sisters, make it your business to get to know them. Not at this exact second, but the moment you finish reading this.

The other thing that consumed me yesterday was my research for The Dirty Book Club. The novel is set in present-day California, but there are a lot of flashbacks. The one I am working on now takes place in 1973 so I ordered a bunch of archived magazines from that time so I could get a feel for pop culture and fashion during that era.

This is what I learned…

1) Swimsuit models didn’t have to spend their salaries on boobs. Flat was where it was at. Much sexier if you ask me.

2) One dollar went a long way. SPOILER ALERT: Sheridan Spencer reads How To Be Your Own Best Friend in Pretenders 2: License To Spill (June 2014). See it down there?

3) Jell-O mold = “Nutrition.”

4) Photos weren’t shopped. Models had facial movement when they smiled and their skin tones weren’t even. The horror!

5) This cigarette ad is my favorite. Not only does it look like that guy is once inch away from setting his shag rug on fire, and not only do the tracks on his corduroy pants look like they have been raked in a Zen garden, but there is something in this photo that defies all logic. Can you figure out what it is?

Try. Really try. But if you are too impatient because you want to go and download Haim ,check the bottom of this blog for the answer.

TTYW,

Lisi

(Their cigarettes are lit but no smoke. Man, the ’70s were a magical time.)

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