You've been asking Ruby, the fictional character from E. Lockhart's Ruby Oliver series questions in our activity "Ask Ruby" and she's answered some of them! There's been such a great response for this and we're excited to have Ruby here with us to give some great and much needed advice. In celebration of this new advice column on Random Buzzers, we are going to be giving away 23 copies of the audio book for the Treasure Map of Boys to 23 lucky Random Buzzers who participate in asking Ruby a question you really want answered! 23 members who submit questions from August 19th - 26th will be randomly chosen to win a copy of the audio book.
Check out her answers to the first series of questions asked by you (anonymously)!
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Oh, ag.
You guys
asked SO MANY MANY MANY QUESTIONS. And some of them were serious!
I mean, hardcore
life questions that I, as a (fictional) 17 year-old friendless noboyfriend
mental patient am in no way equipped to answer.
So I need to
say this to you before you read anything I wrote:
1. Sorry if
I couldn't answer yours. There were way more than I could manage, because I
have to apply for COLLEGE and a lot is going on for me on the personal front
that you will only find out about when the fourth Ruby Oliver book -- Real Live
Boyfriends -- comes out next year.
2. I see a
shrink. It's really not so bad. In fact,
I strongly recommend it if you have
serious stuff going on in your life, or if you feel like you're
snapping.
3. If you
have questions about what it's like to go to therapy, read The Boyfriend
List,The Boy Book and The Treasure Map of Boys. You'll get some idea of what
the whole process is like.
4. There
were a lot of questions about writing. E. Lockhart (the author of all the Ruby
books) should answer these, and maybe you want to look at her FAQ on her
website: http://e-lockhart.com/?page_id=14
5.. I can't
tell you what choice to make, but protection protection protection. You're a fool if you don't use it, and treat
it like it's your job to bring it.
Okay. Here
are my answers!!
Love,
Roo
Secret Name:
cut grass
My question for Ruby:
why do boys often refers to girls in
derogatory terms?
Because they are Neanderthals. Also,
deep inside they feel unsure whether they are big strong manly manly dudes or
even worth anything at all.
Calling us crappy names makes them temporarily
feel superior.
Also, nobody taught them any better.
I sometimes ask: "Did your mama
teach all her children to be sexists, or did she single you out
specially?"
Secret Name:
polished boots
My question for Ruby:
do boys see girls as real people
instead of as quests or hurdles to get over?
If they are worth anything, they do.
Secret Name:
Bobby Jo Jr.
My question for Ruby:
Ruby, given the choice, would you
rather eat hundreds of Jesus marshmallows or chick marshmallows?
Bobby Jo, you obviously read The
Treasure Map of Boys, ,so you know I hate marshmallows.
If I had to eat them, I would pick the
chicks. I would TOAST them and eat them in S'mores.
Jesus S'mores would be too disturbing.
Secret Name:
Worried
Question for Ruby:
What does it mean when a boy won't
meet your eyes?
It means it is time to look for a boy
who will.
Secret Name:
NEMO
My question for Ruby:
Am I ever going to write again???
I feel that I have lost my talant :(
Yes, you are. Writing involves long
periods of not writing.
Secret Name:
Secret Name #2
My question for Ruby:
I'm afraid of needles. And medical
stuffins. I have to get my wisdom teeth out in a week. What can I do to deal
with my fear
Ag. Poor you.
Your might try some of the
techniques Doctor Z taught me for
calming down when I'm having panic attacks.
I breathe deep and slow and count my breaths. I squeeze a tennis ball in
my hands or toss it back and forth from one hand to the other. (This quiets the
brain somehow. I have no idea how.) I listen to retro metal and jump around.
(Though retro metal may not work for you. But music with a beat that's strong
enough to be distracting).
Do you have headphones and a music
player? You can probably even bring it to the dentist ans wear it during the
procedure.
Secret Name:
confused
My question for Ruby:
I am don't know where to take my girl
friend on a first date and i live in a small town with no movie theaters or
good restaurant and I dont have my drivers licence, help?
Bowling is good. Picnic is good. Nature walk.
Have her over to your house and try to make brownies.
Secret Name:
wonderinwoman
My question for Ruby:
My ex boyfriend keeps leaving but he
always comes back. I won't hear from him for months but he always comes back.
Is this a sign that it's meant to be and that we should get back together?
-wonderinwoman
No. I am only seventeen and have
highly limited experience and even I can tell you that's a sign that he is
unreliable. Sounds like a recipe for angst and heartbreak to me.
Secret Name:
Ms. Confuzzled
My question for Ruby:
So, I like this one guy. He's really
funny, sweet and all that, total skater. I've known him for probably 3 years
now. He's my best friend and I don't know what I'd do without him... we've had
our ups and down, and let me tell you the downs aren't fun.
But there's also another guy. I've
known him for the majority of my life, he's also really funny and sweet and
when ever he's
touches me or is even around me I get
this weird feeling. He's a total country boy, cowboy boots, plaid the whole 9
yard, and
he's got these amazing brown eyes.
He's as close as I think I can get to your... whatever your imaginary boyfriend
was, and
he's real. And I'm just really
confused, everyone that sees me with either tells me that they like me or ask
if we're dating, and
although the two don't show open
hostility I don't think they like each other very much, it's there, but I think
they try and hide
it for me... the latter hiding it a
little better that the other. But I don't know what to do, I like them both,
the country one a little
more maybe, but I'm afraid that if I
choose I'll end up losing one good friendship, or if I don't choose soon, I'll
lose both. I
know that you constantly say that
you're not the best one to be giving advice on this type of thing, but what's
your opinion, I
just need help.
Ag!
But not a bad problem to have.
I have a question for you, Ms.
Confuzzled. Are you seeing these guys as
like, imaginary Tommy Hazard type boyfriends? Or are you seeing them as people?
People who might be dorky or nervous or sad or annoying sometimes?
I think you should try hard to see the
guys as people, 'cause when you start thinking a guy is a dream boyfriend, the
ending is not going to be pretty.
Also, I think you can kiss the second
guy, the country one, with no consequences really.
So why not try it and see how you
feel?
Secret Name:
susan259
My question for Ruby:
what should I do if my best friend
doesn't like me anymore?
Know that you are not alone. I lost my
best friend, too and it is complete agony.
There is nothing to do except hold
your head high and look for new friends.
Secret Name:
Running Down
My question for Ruby:
I'm going to be going away from home
for the first time, going away to college four hours away. I've never even been
to summer camp, so I'm afraid that I won't know what to do without my family
around me. Any advice on how to cope?
- Running Down
I have never been away from home
either, but I asked my friend L. -- who just finished freshman year at college.
She says: "You will be so glad your parents arent there! Trust me. Your
college friends will become your family."
(I hope she's right!)
Secret Name:
Agatha
My question for Ruby:
Dear Ruby, I a senior in high school
and am considering colleges. My friend really wants me to go where she goes,
but I'm not sure if I want to go with her. I fell like I should make the
decision on my own and I don't want to feel like I copied her. What should I
do?
Make the decision on your own. My
friend L. (the college freshman) agrees. She says everything changes at college
and you have to go where there's stuff you want to study, sports you like, the
kind of campus and location you want, and all of that.
Secret Name:
Luckless in Love
My question for Ruby:
I've had a crush on the same guy since
I first met him three or so years ago. We've become friends and he's invited me
to some of his sporting events and asked me to dance, and he went to a concert
with me when I asked him. He always sends out such mixed signals.. I don 't
know if I should keep waiting or move on, or if I even CAN move on. What should
I do?
Kiss him.
(My college friend L says: Dress up in
high heels and lots of black clothes and maybe some leather. Act really flirty
and see what he does. She says she wishes she'd done that more in high school.)
Secret Name:
dudette
My question for Ruby:
when did you have your first kiss?
Ag, ag and more ag. It is chronicled
in all its slimy spitty detail in The Boyfriend List.
Secret Name:
Gender Bender
My question for Ruby:
I've heard both sides of the argument:
1. It's the 21st century, it's totally okay for girls to ask out guys. and 2.
No matter how the times are changing, guys still love the thrill of the chase.
I am so confused!!! IS it okay for women to ask out men or is that something
that will always be taboo?
Ask him out. If the guy is freaked out
by it, he's not the guy for you. Who wants to go out with a guy who is all
about the chase? He'll just get bored quickly. And who wants to go out buy a
guy who's freaked out by a girl asking him?
Not me.
Secret Name:
Lost
My question for Ruby:
I got lost and thew my map in the
river how else can I return home, is a compass okay?
Dear Lost,
This was my favorite question of all
the questions.
Use a compas if you can. I prefer to
borrow Meghan's iPhone, which has a mapping thinggee on it.
Secret Name:
friend-less
My question for Ruby:
Hi Ruby, how do I make friends with
new people in camp?
Bring temporary tattoos. Or maybe gum.
Everyone likes a girl with gum.
(Please remember that I am a leper
when you take my advice!)
Random
Buzzers is excited to welcome David Levithan to the Random Buzzers forums this
coming Monday August 31st! David is the author of Boy Meets Boy, How They Met & Other Stories, co-authored Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and is getting ready to release
the upcoming Love is the Higher Law. 
Happy Friday, Random Buzzers! It's time for another ARC Friday Giveaway and this week we are looking for your favorite historical heroes and figures! We are giving away five copies of Nine Pound Hammer this week, an action/adventure historical story which weaves in some of the fantastical.
Author Rosemary Clement-Moore from the Maggie
Quinn: Girl vs. Evil series is coming out with a new book and will be joining Random Buzzers this coming Monday to chat with you! If you're already a fan of her writing, you can expect to see some of the elements of romance and spookiness that you've read in the Maggie Quinn series in 
