BLOG TOUR: Frazzled by Booki Vivat (GUEST POST + GIVEAWAY)

Meet Abbie Wu! She’s about to start middle school and she’s totally in crisis.

Abbie Wu is in crisis—and not just because she’s stuck in a family that doesn’t quite get her or because the lunch ladies at school are totally corrupt or because everyone seems to have a “Thing” except her. Abbie Wu is in crisis always.

Heavily illustrated and embarrassingly honest, Frazzled dives right into the mind of this hilariously neurotic middle school girl as she tries to figure out who she is, where she belongs, and how to survive the everyday disasters of growing up. With Abbie’s flair for the dramatic and natural tendency to freak out, middle school has never seemed so nerve-racking!

Packed with hilarious black-and-white illustrations and doodles throughout, Frazzled takes readers through Abbie Wu’s hysterical middle school adventures.

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My Thoughts

This book is so freaking adorable! I can't wait to see the finished version with all of Booki's (the author) sketches. I also can't wait for my own Middle to read it; he's going to love it!

Abbie Wu is a lovable character whose relatable to readers, young and old alike. Even if you don't have a Middle Schooler, you were one--even if it was like, a million years ago. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up, you won't be sorry.


 

 Guest Post 

 5 FREAK-OUTS IN THE MAKING OF FRAZZLED (AND WHAT I LEARNED FROM THEM)

 

I’ve never been good at giving advice. Mostly because I never feel fully qualified to give advice. What do I know, really? One thing I know for sure: writing is hard. Writing Frazzled certainly was! More often than not, I questioned whether anyone would want to read about this flustered, fictionalized version of my younger self trying to figure out who she was. So while I may not feel qualified to give proper writing advice, what I can do is share 5 freak-outs I had while working on this book (in doodle form, of course) and talk about what I learned from those freak-outs. Here goes!


1. Protect your writing time.

Life can be crazy. There never seems to be enough time to write and/or you never feel like you’ve accomplished enough in the time you’ve set aside! I learned that it’s important to make time to devote to your work and concentrate on using that time the best you can. Also, it’s good not to put too much pressure on what you are producing or feel unsatisfied by how you spent that time. The important part is that you give yourself space to be creative!

Some writers set word count goals they want to reach each day, while others choose to schedule blocks of time to focus on writing. Do what works best for you! Different people choose to do this in different ways, but it’s safe to say that every writer has to be intentional about protecting their time. 

2. Embrace writers block.

Writers block hits everyone—and I mean everyone. It hit me hard with Frazzled. The danger of writers block is not necessarily the work you lose when you’re stuck in it, but the much deeper effect that it has on your confidence and resilience as a writer. It’s easy to lose sight of why you’re writing or give up altogether.

I say we collectively learn to embrace writers block. Rather than fearing it or dwelling on it, maybe it’s better to just find ways to work around it. That can mean shifting attention to another project, getting some outside perspective on your work, or even just cutting yourself some slack and taking a break. There isn’t one simple way of getting over writers block, but I know it can be done!

3. Keep working no matter what. 

 

Sometimes it just feels like you’re running in circles and you’ll never finish! Empty pages seem so empty and the little letters clumping together to form words and sentences don’t seem nearly big enough to fill all that blank space. I know this feeling. There were so many times when I thought I would never finish this book—but here it is, complete! 

It’s challenging when you’re faced with all the pages you haven’t filled and it looks like there’s no end in sight, but sometimes looking back at what you’ve already accomplished can be encouraging! It’s good to get perspective and keep in mind that writing a book is a long process. Perseverance is key!

4. Find people who will encourage and support you. 

Writing itself is hard enough, but sometimes, it can also feel really lonely and isolating. While working on Frazzled, there were definitely moments that made me doubt whether or not I could pull it off. I have so many doodles illustrating all my frustrating moments. But if doodling was my way of releasing my fears, then drawing strength from the people around me was what helped me move past them.

I’ve learned that the best way to combat all the uncertainties is to surround yourself with people who will encourage and support you in different ways. Besides friends and family, finding community with other writers can be a great way to connect with people who understand how confusing, rewarding, and maddening the creative process can be!

  
5. Do not dismiss or devalue your creative work. 

No matter what, creative work is still work. I used to dismiss a lot of my writing and drawing because I was embarrassed it wasn't good enough or I was afraid people would think I was just a total fraud. So I just wrote it off like it didn't matter and like it wasn't important—it didn’t “count.” But the truth is, everything counts!

If you're taking the time to be creative and you're making something—that takes time. That takes effort. That takes heart! You could be binge watching something on Netfix or playing Minecraft or taking a nap, but instead you're choosing to do work. Nothing can take away the value of that action. Doing the work is the only way anyone gets better, so don’t disregard the importance of your efforts and just keep working! 

About the Author

Booki Vivat has been doodling somewhat seriously since 2011 and not-so-seriously since childhood. She grew up in Southern California and graduated from the University of California, San Diego. She currently works in publishing and lives in Brooklyn, New York. This is her first novel. 

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Tour Schedule:
Week 1:
9/19: Swoony Boys Podcast - Review
9/20: Such A Novel Idea - Guest Post
9/21: What Sarah Read - Review
9/22: Supernatural Snark - Q&A
9/23: Mundie Kids - Review

Week 2:
9/26: The Irish Banana Review - Q&A
9/27: Fiction Fare - Review
9/28: Jenuine Cupcakes - Guest Post
9/29: Wiritng my Own Fairytale - Review
9/30: Reads all the Books - Review

Giveaway:

3 Finished Copies of FRAZZLED (US Only)

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