Mwah! October 29, 2007 2:28 PM   Subscribe

Big, sloppy thank-you to MetaFilter!

I asked a question about four months ago and was thrilled by the excellent responses. I mentioned in the post that it was for a book I was working on -- and now that book is here. Tomorrow, in fact, is the day it comes out. And even though I thanked folks in the book's acknowledgments, I wanted to thank everyone here as well -- especially the women of Ask MetaFilter who answered the question about books that changed your life as a girl, and some other people who inspired and shared their knowledge.

I wrote to grumblebee for some thoughts on Shakespeare and was thrilled to get a near-instantaneous reply. I emailed corpse in the library about girl pirate lore and was able to learn some facts about historical and fictional women at sea. Their generosity helped create two fantastic chapters: one on telling ghost stories (thanks to grumblebee, I was able to include the ghost scene from Hamlet, one of the scariest ghost stories ever), and one on daring girl pirates (thanks to corpse in the library, I didn't fall prey to thinking some of the fictional characters were actually real). And that question about books? That helped inform a chapter called "Books That Will Change Your Life."

I told my co-author while we were writing the book that the research and writing of it all felt like writing 100 MetaFilter posts. She didn't know what I meant, but it was a compliment to MetaFilter.

Anyway, thanks!

P.S. I'll be talking about the ghost story chapter on the Today Show this Wednesday, and I'll be reading at the Astor Place Barnes & Noble at 7 on Thursday if anyone would like a thank-you in person!
posted by mothershock to MetaFilter-Related at 2:28 PM (40 comments total) 7 users marked this as a favorite

Nowai! I totally ordered that book last night and it shipped today. Can't wait to check it out and see if there's stuff I can share with my daughter in it.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 2:30 PM on October 29, 2007


Awesome! Congrats on the book and go AskMe.
posted by Terminal Verbosity at 2:34 PM on October 29, 2007


Oh that's really great! Congrats!
posted by dog food sugar at 2:38 PM on October 29, 2007


Yay team!
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 2:56 PM on October 29, 2007


Oh my god there was seriously a book behind an AskMe? Wtf?

Er, I only ask because I'm writing a book where a character is really incredulous
posted by bonaldi at 2:58 PM on October 29, 2007 [4 favorites]


My book is going to be about a Mefite that doesn't really do much.
posted by blue_beetle at 3:05 PM on October 29, 2007 [1 favorite]


Neat!
posted by cortex (staff) at 3:22 PM on October 29, 2007


Oh wow! That looks awesome. I will have to get it and place it next to my Dangerous Book for Boys.

Congrats on the book!
posted by piratebowling at 3:28 PM on October 29, 2007


Excellent! Congratulations!
posted by painquale at 4:02 PM on October 29, 2007


Oh, how fantastic! YAY!
posted by mewithoutyou at 4:32 PM on October 29, 2007


"Can't wait to check it out and see if there's stuff I can share with my daughter in it."

No, no, it's all pretty much pornography and mumbledy-peg.
posted by klangklangston at 4:37 PM on October 29, 2007


The pornographic mumbledy-peg in particular is superlative.
posted by cortex (staff) at 4:44 PM on October 29, 2007


There's an image to make you shrivel.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 4:59 PM on October 29, 2007


Awesome book. I got a review copy of it & my girls promptly claimed it & fled which is making it hard to review since I haven't seen much of it yet... but they seem quite taken with it.

I threatened to make them write the review & the oldest (9) yelled back, "Fine!" over her shoulder as she ran into her room to the top bunk to read it...
posted by susanbeeswax at 5:01 PM on October 29, 2007 [2 favorites]


How long until someone comes along and accuses mothershock of using MeFi not only to write her book, but to pimp it as well?
posted by Kwantsar at 5:09 PM on October 29, 2007


Luckily, your irony will have rounded their barbs! Is there anything irony can't do?
posted by klangklangston at 5:19 PM on October 29, 2007


I'd found the Daring Book on my own and already decide to buy it (and the Dangerous Book) for my daughter. Nice to know where it came from!
posted by lekvar at 5:21 PM on October 29, 2007


That book has been on my Amazon wishlist for weeks! I can't believe I post to the same website as its author! (I'm not being sarcastic--I genuinely think that's awesome.)
posted by leesh at 5:43 PM on October 29, 2007


Hey, check it out, it's Metafilter's own mothershock.
posted by desuetude at 6:53 PM on October 29, 2007


Obligatory link to the promotional video for the book, which makes this once-tomboy's heart squeal with delight.
posted by Brittanie at 6:55 PM on October 29, 2007


Congratulations, mothershock! Must have been such a fun book to work on. (And must be such a relief to have it done!)

And I'd like to point out to everyone else that I figured out what book it was for when that thread was going on, as you can see by my last comment in it. Therefore I am cool and wicked smart.
posted by lampoil at 7:58 PM on October 29, 2007


Yowza! I'm buying a copy for my daughter, who's 24. That's not too old, is it? I mean, she's a woman but she's still my girl. Oh! And a copy for my dear friend and collaborators' daughter, who's 10, and exactly the kind of girl I would have had a crush on at her age. Thanks!
posted by Floydd at 8:16 PM on October 29, 2007 [1 favorite]


That's great! Wow, congratulations. The Today Show! Great, great book! Behold the power of MeFi.
posted by cashman at 8:35 PM on October 29, 2007


The fucking Today Show! Congratulations!
posted by dhammond at 9:21 PM on October 29, 2007


Coool. I am so getting that for my niece - she's only two, but one can't be too daring too early, methinks! Thanks for the heads-up and making my Christmas shopping a little easier, mothershock!
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 10:54 PM on October 29, 2007


Excellent.
posted by Duncan at 11:38 PM on October 29, 2007


Sorry to derail this thread but is there some reason the Amazon link isn't a MeFi affiliate link? Was it never added to the new more inside functionality or has it been removed and I simply haven't noticed or what?
posted by sveskemus at 12:33 AM on October 30, 2007


This appears to be dangerous propaganda aimed at filling the heads of delicate young ladies-to-be with outrageous notions that will ill fit them for their future God-ordained duties as meek and genteel wives and mothers. It is a scientifically proven fact that a young girl who engages in anything more strenuous than croquet will become unmarriageable and possibly even go on to demand the vote.
posted by Abiezer at 1:16 AM on October 30, 2007


Croquet? You radical nutter! Nothing more strenuous than needlework is important!

Congrats on the book!
posted by gomichild at 2:29 AM on October 30, 2007


Good show! Well done!
posted by EatTheWeek at 3:20 AM on October 30, 2007


I got the book yesterday, thank you soooo much!! It's a lot of fun and will definitely keep this old girl entertained. :)
posted by divabat at 4:43 AM on October 30, 2007


Looks like a great book; I will definitely get one for my daughter!
posted by TedW at 5:30 AM on October 30, 2007


Metafilter: All pretty much Pornography and Mumbletypeg.

(And Congrats to Mothershock).
posted by BigLankyBastard at 6:29 AM on October 30, 2007


That's awesome! My daughter and I watched the video this morning before she went to school. I let her know that we will be getting the book. She is excited (and so am I). Congratulations!
posted by Sailormom at 6:35 AM on October 30, 2007


Wow. Congrats!!
posted by dead_ at 7:34 AM on October 30, 2007


Congratulations! This is great news, and a great use of the site!
posted by anotherpanacea at 8:56 AM on October 30, 2007


I can't wait to get famous now that I've joined MeFi... I better log off and find something useful to do in order to achieve that, actually.

Congratulations!
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 2:47 PM on October 30, 2007


mothershock, did I spot you and your coauthor at the Borders at the Time Warner Center this afternoon?

I'm not a stalker. Coincidence only, I swear.
posted by lampoil at 7:11 PM on October 30, 2007


Here's the section from the book.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 6:21 PM on October 31, 2007


WOW!! I ordered this weeks ago for my daughter and it came 2 days ago! Been trying to decide if I could wait till Christmas to give it to her and then I stumbled across this post again. So excited that i'm a witness to your success!! Fabulous book!! I'm enjoying it so much that I'll have to order another new copy for baby pearlybob! Congrats!
posted by pearlybob at 2:13 PM on November 3, 2007


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