How We Spend Our Down Time

When we're not working on a new Smart Aleck's Guide, we here at Smart Aleck HQ still have plenty to do. Adam keeps us busy.

Today, he handed down the assignment of helping him try to find a version of the K-I-S-S-I-N-G in print before 1970 for use on one of his many websites, <a href="http://www.playgroundjungle.com">Playground Jungle</a>, which studies the origins and variations of naughty playground rhymes. That was a tricky one - everyone sort of assumes that the rhyme is ancient (and it probably is), but it doesn't seem to have been written down until about 1970. Weird. Adam was always interested in this sort of thing, and in 2009 he got interested enough to start to blog about it to go with all of his OTHER blogs. No word on whether it'll turn into a book, but we've learned never to assume anything WON'T turn into a book around here.

We're also working on the trailer for SPARKS, my new novel, and tweaking the audio on the trailer for Adam's new one, EXTRAORDINARY, which is already filmed and ready to go as soon as the cover is released.

And gathering and organizing junk for a couple of Chicago history books Adam has been hired to write (one of which, at least, will use something of a Smart Aleck voice).

Now, I'm not saying that we do all of Adam's work for him - far from it. He spends HOURS digging up stories and information. He disappears into libraries, talks his way into old buildings, and gathers data from the field (a fancy way of saying he interviews weirdos).  And he's always working on about 5 different novels, so the office is a MESS of papers, chalkboards, notebooks, etc. Projects on the table this month are code-named MAGWITCH, MARS, SATAN (which he might let me take over), OBSTACLE, and LUCRETIA.

Yesterday, he did an interview for CBS about the link between Facebook and depression - we didn't know he was an expert on that! (Neither did he, for the record - he's pretty sure he'll come off looking like a dork) (to which we reply: "Why should today be any different?")  Tomorrow he has a big author event where the keynote speaker is Weird Al. Next week he has a couple of school and bookstore visits out in the suburbs. Us? Well, we'll hold down the fort clean out the litter boxes.