Young Husky sitting
German Shepard sitting
Black and white spaniel sitting
Gray Pitbull sitting
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Big, fuzzing brown puppy sitting
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Husky laying down
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Character Bucket List: Ben and Coop from fml by Shaun Hutchinson

by Jan Lewis

Though Simon is the main character in fml, my favorite characters to write were his two best friends, Ben and Coop, who happen to be a couple.

Ben: Really? A bucket list? How about a bucket of Corona?

Coop: Be nice, Ben.

Ben: I thought I was.

Coop: Can’t you be serious for one second? Forget it. I already know the answer. How about I start? The first thing on my bucket would be to play guitar with Jack White. Why are you laughing, Ben?

Ben: Seriously? You’re going to die and you want to play guitar with Jack White?

Coop: What?

Ben: I’m just saying…

Coop: Fine, what’s on your bucket list then?

Ben: First, you have to be naked.

Coop: Forget it. I knew this was a bad idea.

Ben: Fine! I’d really love to visit the Louvre.

Coop: See? That’s cool.

Ben: And I want to go skydiving and I definitely can’t die without meeting Prince Harry.

Coop: You’re never going to meet Prince Harry.

Ben: You never know.

Coop: Anyway, that’s not the list we’re talking about.

Ben: Oh, whatever. You probably just want to have tea with Hillary Clinton and tell her that horrible story that you insist on telling everyone about the time you saved a litter of kittens from drowning.

Coop: What’s wrong with that story?

Ben: It wasn’t a litter of kittens. It was one cat, and it was mean.

Coop: Was not.

Ben: I still have a scar from where that evil demon scratched me!

Coop: You’re the one who’s mean.

Ben: Am not. Don’t pout. I love my Coopy bear.

Coop: Are we going to do this list or what?

Ben: You know what, baby? If I had to make a list of the things I wanted to do before I died, you’d be the only thing on it.

Coop: That’s either incredibly sweet or really dirty.

Ben: It could go either way. Just like your dad.

Coop: You’re lucky you’re cute.

Ben: Lucky doesn’t even begin to cover it.


About the Book

Tonight’s the night: Simon’s big chance to finally get with Cassie. Cassie, who he’s loved for ages. Cassie, who is newly boyfriend-free. Cassie, who just happens to be throwing the biggest party of the year. Simon’s plan is simple: he’ll go to the party, she’ll fall in love with him, they’ll make out like crazy, and the night will be a complete success.

But things don’t ever go as planned.

In two alternating plotlines, Simon goes after the girl of his dreams and stumbles toward his destiny. It’s one night, one party, and a thousand ways for things to go wrong . . . but a million ways for them to go right.

Purchase fml on Amazon 
Purchase fml on Indiebound
View fml on Goodreads

About the Author

Shaun David Hutchinson lives with his partner and two dogs in South Florida and spends way too much time watching Doctor Who. He is the author of fml (Simon Pulse, June 2013) and The Deathday Letter (Simon Pulse, June 2010). He is fully prepared for the zombie apocalypse.

Visit Shaun’s Website
Check out Shaun’s Blog 
Follow Shaun on Twitter

Jan Lewis

Jan Lewis writes YA fantasy of the contemporary and traditional varieties. She lives in Oklahoma with a husband, two kids, two cats, a dog, and a mother. Instead of unpublished, she prefers to call herself pre-published. While she enjoys drafting, her heart is truly in rewriting and editing. She loves ladybugs, fairies, blue roses, cats, musical theater, and pretty much all things geek.

Post © Jan Lewis and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.
Posted: Jul 11, 2013
Category: Imported from AYAP
Tags: Character Bucket List

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The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p> <p>Your main character needs to be:<br /> • Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br /> • Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br /> • Active enough to drive the story<br /> • Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p> <p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />
The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p> <p>But your theme needs to be:<br /> • Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br /> • Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br /> • Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br /> • Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p> <p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />
The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p> <p>In general, your plot should:<br /> • Hook readers fast<br /> • Build tension that a child can follow<br /> • Create page turns that feel natural<br /> • Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p> <p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.
The Arms of your story are the side characters.
The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p> <p>Your setting should:<br /> • Make your character's world feel real<br /> • Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br /> • Connect different scenes and moments organically<br /> • Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p> <p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black. 

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