Hey everyone,
I’m usually the one who forgets about April Fools day. And I also usually don’t realize I’ve been pranked until about a year after the fact.
Not kidding.
Freshman year, my college roommate convinced me she had a boyfriend. And I didn’t figure out that “Ben” didn’t exist until the summer of my Sophomore year. She even staged a fake “breakup” near the end of the school year.
And like a chump, I believed her.
So this year, I wanted to be the prankster instead of the prankee.
And initially I was quite pleased with my success.
I started off with a VERY difficult act. I confessed on Twitter that after doing some deep soul-searching, I was ready to admit that Luc is hotter than Colin in Erica O’Rourke’s addictive series. (Torn and Tangled have both been released. You should buy them. So freaking good.)
Now for those of you who DON’T follow me on Twitter (Why? How can you pass up my pithy tweets? Okay…my not-so-pithy tweets?) this might not seem like a big deal.
Two fictional guys. Who cares?
Um…a lot of people. And we’re writers which means we spend a large portion of our time obsessing over people who aren’t real. So…things can get a little heated in the Twitterverse.
As in, we have a bet going. And when I am proved right, my dear misguided friend Jenn Rush will have to create a video apologizing for picking Puke…I mean “Luc” over Colin.
Yes, this really is how I spend the majority of my free time.
Anyhow, so I went on Twitter today and I pretended to have switched sides. That I had realized the error in my ways *gag* and was now fully invested in Team Luc.
I tricked a few people. Here are some of my favorite tweets.
@MarniBates Does this mean you are crossing over to the Luc team???
@MarniBates yay!! You made the right choice. @jenn_rush & I welcome you! Things are hot & sparky with Luc
And from my fellow Team Colin-mate…
MARNI! SERIOUSLY?! *sad puppy eyes*
Alas, some people were not fooled!
Jenn Rush realized I would NEVER switch teams. And the author who started this mess, couldn’t resist joining in!
Ha! I was reading my @ replies, saw this, and told Boyo, “marni is messing w/them.”
D’awww…they know me so well!
This just inspired me to plan a bigger prank. Something MAJOR. And after a lot of consideration (And a little too much coffee) I realized it should be someone who was obligated to love me no matter what. Someone who wouldn’t hold a little practical joke against me.
Someone other than my mom.
So obviously, I had to get my agent Laurie McLean!
(Love you, Laurie!)
Now this was dangerous for a few reasons. Not least of which is that she sends my paychecks.
Although knowing that we are going to be sharing a room at the Romance Writers of America conference scared me ever more.
I have a feeling that Laurie is well-versed in revenge.
EEEP!
Still, I consulted with evil genius/agent-in-training Pam van Hylckama and we created a plan.
A REALLY good one.
That has serious potential to become a REALLY bad one.
I sent Pam a fake email saying that a movie studio wanted me under contract and that I wouldn’t be able to write any more novels for TWO YEARS!
Then Pam emailed it to Laurie and suggested the she call me…right away.
So here I am…waiting for the call.
And while I initially thought that being the pranker was better than being the prankee, I’ve discovered some distinct disadvantages. All this waiting around is stressful!
Because I keep running through bad possibilities. Like Laurie could call up my film agent and demand to know what the hell is going on.
That would be bad.
Oh crud. That would be terrible!
*Marni panics*
Okay! I can’t take it anymore.
April Fools Day has defeated me. This year…
~Marni
Marni Bates 
O.K. This was a very good prank. There was only one problem. It’s Sunday afternoon. I had already put in five hours of work on my supposed weekend, so I had shut down my computer and tablet and was reading Mockingjay on my Kindle when Marni called and told me that my assistant Pam had sent me an email I better read. This was suspect in and of itself. Did Pam quit? And if so, why was Marni aware of this before me. So that couldn’t be it. What did Marni and Pam both work on that would affect me? An anthology idea we’re tossing around? Perhaps that was it. But Marni was acting a bit suspicious. Still, the prank email was crafted so skillfully I thought it was real. I thought Marni’s film agent, Brandy Rivers, had secured a book-to-film deal that would require an exclusive on her writing for the next two years. Meaning nothing for me to sell in the middle of a ramp up of what I hope is going to be a stellar author career for Marni. I was silent for, like, 10 seconds, which I think is a record for me. Then, I tried to fill the void with a rush of words denying that the film studio would need her for two years exclusively, and that maybe they just meant screenplay exclusivity not novel exclusivity, and maybe it was Marni’s way of firing me, but what did Pam have to do with all this, and could I salvage her writing career by getting her publisher to string out her next three books over 24 months instead of fifteen. Then, when I took a breath, Marni, said, “It’s a joke, Laurie. It’s all a joke!” That caused another round of silence followed quickly by laughing and thoughts of revenge. Yes, vengeance will be mine. My husband says you can’t do an April Fool’s prank on any day other than April 1st. But I didn’t get where I am today by following the rules. Be on your toes, ladies. We are sharing a room at the RWA conference in July, by the way. And I’m sure there will be other opportunities.
-Laurie “the prankster” McLean!