Cabot, Meg 1967- (Meggin Patricia Cabot, Patricia Cabot, Jenny Carroll)

PERSONAL:

Born February 1, 1967, in Bloomington, IN; daughter of A. Victor (a college professor) and Barbara Cabot; married Benjamin D. Egnatz (a financial writer), April 1, 1993. Education: Indiana University, B.A., 1991. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, watching television, bicycling, and eating out.

ADDRESSES:

Office—532 La Guardia Pl., No. 359, New York, NY 10012. Agent—Laura Langlie, 275 President St., Ste. 3, Brooklyn, NY 11231.

CAREER:

Writer. New York University, New York, NY, worked for ten years as assistant manager of a 700-bed undergraduate dormitory.

MEMBER:

Authors Guild, Authors League of America, Society of Children's Book Authors and Illustrators, Romance Writers of America.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Reviewers Choice Award, best British Isles historical romance, Romantic Times, 1999, for An Improper Proposal; cited among "Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers" and Best Book selection, both American Library Association, 2001, for The Princess Diaries; Edgar Allan Poe Award nomination, best young adult category, Mystery Writers of America, 2003, for Safe House; The Princess Diaries was voted "one of the nation's 100 best-loved novels" by the British public as part of the "The Big Read," British Broadcasting Corp., 2003.

WRITINGS:

"THE PRINCESS DIARIES" SERIES; YOUNG ADULT NOVELS

The Princess Diaries (also see below), HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2000.

The Princess Diaries Volume II: Princess in the Spotlight (also see below), HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.

The Princess Diaries Volume III: Princess in Love (also see below), HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2002.

The Princess Diaries Volume IV: Princess in Waiting, (also see below), HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2003.

The Princess Diaries Volume 4 1/2: Project Princess, HarperTrophy (New York, NY), 2003.

Princess Lessons (A Princess Diaries Book), HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2003.

Perfect Princess (A Princess Diaries Book), HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2004.

The Princess Diaries Volume V: Princess in Pink, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2004.

Mia Tells It like It Is (contains The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries Volume II: Princess in the Spotlight), Avon Books (New York, NY), 2004.

The Highs and Lows of Being Mia (contains The Princess Diaries Volume III: Princess in Love and The Princess Diaries Volume IV: Princess in Waiting), Avon Books (New York, NY), 2004.

The Princess Diaries Volume VI: Princess in Training, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2005.

Valentine Princess: A Princess Diaries Book, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2006.

Sweet Sixteen Princess, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2006.

Party Princess, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2006.

Princess on the Brink, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2007.

"THE MEDIATOR" SERIES; YOUNG ADULT NOVELS

(Under pseudonym Jenny Carroll) Shadowlands, Pocket Pulse (New York, NY), 2000.

(Under pseudonym Jenny Carroll) Ninth Key, Pocket Pulse (New York, NY), 2001.

(Under pseudonym Jenny Carroll) Reunion, Pocket Pulse (New York, NY), 2001.

(Under pseudonym Jenny Carroll) Darkest Hour, Pocket Pulse (New York, NY), 2001.

Haunted, HarperTrophy (New York, NY), 2003.

Twilight, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2005.

UNDER PSEUDONYM JENNY CARROLL; "1-800-WHERE-R-YOU" SERIES; YOUNG ADULT NOVELS

When Lightning Strikes …, Pocket Pulse (New York, NY), 2001, reprinted under name Meg Cabot, Simon Pulse (New York, NY), 2007.

Code Name Cassandra, Pocket Pulse (New York, NY), 2001, reprinted under name Meg Cabot, Simon Pulse (New York, NY), 2007.

Safe House, Pocket Pulse (New York, NY), 2002, reprinted under name Meg Cabot, Simon Pulse (New York, NY), 2007.

Sanctuary, Pocket Pulse (New York, NY), 2002, reprinted under name Meg Cabot, Simon Pulse (New York, NY), 2007.

UNDER PSEUDONYM PATRICIA CABOT; ROMANCE NOVELS

Where Roses Grow Wild, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1998.

Portrait of My Heart, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1998.

An Improper Proposal, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1999.

A Little Scandal, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2000.

A Season in the Highlands (anthology), Pocket Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Lady of Skye, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Educating Caroline, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Kiss the Bride, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 2002.

OTHER NOVELS

(Under name Meggin Cabot) The Boy Next Door, Avon Trade (New York, NY), 2002.

(Under name Meggin Cabot) She Went All the Way, Avon (New York, NY), 2002.

Nicola and the Viscount, Avon (New York, NY), 2002.

Victoria and the Rogue, Avon (New York, NY), 2003.

All American Girl, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2003.

(Under name Meggin Cabot) Boy Meets Girl, Avon Trade (New York, NY), 2004.

Teen Idol, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2004.

Ready or Not: An All-American Girl Novel, HarperCollins Publishers (New York, NY), 2005.

Every Boy's Got One, Avon Trade (New York, NY), 2005.

Avalon High (young adult novel), HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2006.

Size 12 Is Not Fat: A Heather Wells Mystery, Avon Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Size 14 Is Not Fat Either, Avon Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Queen of Babble, William Morrow (New York, NY), 2006.

How to Be Popular, HarperTempest (New York, NY), 2006.

Missing You, HarperTempest (New York, NY), 2007.

Pants on Fire, HarperTempest (New York, NY), 2007.

OTHER

Holiday Princess (young adult nonfiction), illustrated by Chesley McLaren, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2005.

Also author of a short story published in Seventeen magazine.

ADAPTATIONS:

The Princess Diaries was released as a feature film by Walt Disney Pictures in 2001, starring Julie Andrews. The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, a screenplay by Shonda Rhimes based on Cabot's characters, was released by Walt Disney Pictures in 2004. Cabot's book series "1-800-WHERE-R-YOU" was adapted for the Lifetime television network series 1-800-MISSING, directed by Michael Fresce, 2003. Short story "Ice Princess" adapted for film, 2005, and Teen Idol and Every Boy's Got One are being adapted for film. Books have been adapted as audiobooks by Listening Library, including Princess in Pink, 2004, Avalon High, 2005, Party Princess, 2006, and Ready or Not, 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Meg Cabot is a popular writer who has earned a reputation for capturing the essence of the way adolescents think and talk. Her frequent reliance on the novel-as-diary genre showcases this talent. Cabot is best known as the author of The Princess Diaries, a story about a fourteen-year-old New Yorker whose ordinary troubles with such things as a crush on the most popular boy in school, her flat chest, and the fact that her mother is dating her algebra teacher are magnified the day her father returns to reveal that he is a prince of a small European country. Much of the subsequent diary entries are consumed by Mia's revelations concerning life as a princess, including taking lessons in how to act like royalty from her imperious grandmother and being followed around by nosy reporters. "Readers will relate to Mia's bubbly, chatty voice and enjoy the humor of this unlikely fairy tale," predicted Debbie Stewart in School Library Journal. While a contributor to Publishers Weekly thought that Cabot's humor descends into "slapstick" on occasion, Chris Sherman wrote in Booklist that reading The Princess Diaries "is like reading a note from your best friend." Sherman went on to praise Cabot's accurate rendition of contemporary adolescent slang and her demonstrated ability to create well-rounded, lovable characters, predicting that teens will "be lining up for this hilarious story." Teens did indeed line up, not only for the original novel, but for the feature films, peripherals such as a book of Princess Mia's holiday hints and a movie scrapbook, and several sequels, including Princess in Training—Princess Mia's adventures as a high school sophomore.

Cabot also writes mysteries with a supernatural element under the pseudonym Jenny Carroll. In the inaugural works in the "1-800-WHERE-R-YOU" and the "Mediator" series, she exhibits some of the same winning characteristics as a writer who earned praise from young adult reviewers of The Princess Diaries. In When Lightning Strikes, the first book in the "1-800-WHERE-R-YOU" series, sixteen-year-old Jessica has been struck by lightning and left with an ability to find missing children. Unfortunately, the government wants her to use her ability to find criminals, and Jessica turns to a handsome biker for help in eluding the authorities. "Jessica's thrilling first-person account of her adventure is enhanced by raucously funny teen observations," remarked Roger Leslie in Booklist. Cabot as Carroll again employs a first-person teenage narrator in Shadowlands, the first book in the "Mediator" series. Like the protagonist of When Lightning Strikes, narrator Suze of Shadowlands has the mixed blessing of a sixth sense. Her special ability is as a mediator, which means putting ghosts in contact with the living world in order to resolve the conflicts between them. Though a Publishers Weekly contributor found Suze to be a less-then-credible narrator, the reviewer also noted that "the intriguing premise of a sixteen-year-old with a sixth sense may stand more than a ghost of a chance at snaring teen readers."

Cabot continues to write light fiction for teenagers and young adults, often featuring journalists or characters engaged in the writing profession. Ready or Not: An All-American Girl Novel continues the story of high-school student Samantha Madison (introduced earlier in All American Girl) as she pursues her relationship with the son of the president of the United States and ends up on national television because of her views on provocative political and social issues. Teen Idol is the story of a small-town girl from the Midwest and her encounter with the teenage movie star who inspires her metamorphosis from anonymous high school advice columnist to social activist.

For fans engaged in their own metamorphoses from teenagers into twenty-something adults, Cabot wrote Boy Meets Girl. Expanding her journal-entry device, she also uses e-mail, answering machine messages, and so forth to frame the story of Kate Mackenzie, whose job in the human relations department of a New York newspaper leads her into one dilemma after another and, ultimately, into a romantic relationship with the company lawyer. A Publishers Weekly contributor called Boy Meets Girl "a collection of lighthearted barbs [and] gleeful cliches." Every Boy's Got One is written in similar fashion, using snippets from journals, e-mail, and text messages to tell "the clever story," as Erin Dennington described it in School Library Journal, of a wedding elopement and two members of the wedding party who find each other in the quaint, bucolic community of Castelfidardo, Italy. Dennington recommended the novel for its enlightening background material about Italy as well as the humorous style of writing that Cabot's readers have come to expect.

Additionally, Cabot has written several romances under the pseudonym Patricia Cabot. In works such as Lady of Skye, Portrait of My Heart, and An Improper Pro-posal, Cabot earned praise for effectively injecting elements of mystery plots into her fiery romances, and for creating characters whose humor and humanity earn readers' empathy.

Cabot has continued to contribute to her "Princess Diaries" and "Mediator" series and to write other novels as well. Following Princess in Training, Party Princess finds Mia and her grandmother involved in producing a school musical to raise money for commencement ceremonies. In a review in Kliatt, Joanna Solomon noted that the protagonist "is still lovable and her hilarious diary entries couldn't be more enjoyable." In Twilight, another entry in Cabot's "Mediator" series, Suze Simon, who can talk to ghosts, also has one for a boyfriend. Eventually, Suze must decide whether or not to let her dead boyfriend Jesse move on to the spirit world or to travel back in time with another mediator to prevent Jesse's death in the first place. Stephanie Squicciarini, writing in Kliatt, commented that the novel "offers fans of the supernatural a page-turning good time."

Cabot begins a new series with Size 12 Is Not Fat: A Heather Wells Mystery, in which she looks at the life of a one-time teenage pop star who is down on her luck. Heather Wells is twenty-eight and has lost it all. As a result, she takes a secretarial job with Cooper, a private investigator and brother of her boyfriend Jordan, who is in a boy band and seeing other women. Before long, Heather decides to investigate the murders of female college students in their dorm rooms and soon is a target herself. Gillian Engberg, writing in Booklist, noted that the book's best points are "Heather's strong, amusing voice, the plot twists, and the possibility of romance." In the follow-up novel, Size 14 Is Not Fat Either, Heather is on another murder case involving a decapitated college coed. Engberg wrote in Booklist that Heather investigates the murder and, in the process, demonstrates her "same fumbling humor, vulnerability, and tenacity."

In Avalon High, Cabot writes of Ellie, who comes to Avalon High in her junior year and encounters the teacher Mr. Morton, who belongs to a secret society that wants to bring back King Arthur. It just so happens that Ellie is named for Elaine, the Lady of Shalott of the Arthurian legend. In another coincidence, she is also cheating on her boyfriend Will with Will's best friend Lance, an eerily similar scenario to the love triangle among King Arthur, Sir Lancelot, and Guinevere. When Mr. Morton reveals to Ellie that he believes Will is the reincarnation of King Arthur, Ellie begins to wonder where she fits into this modern version of the old legend. Cindy Welch, writing in Booklist, noted that the author "delivers a clever modern take on Arthurian legend." In a review in Kliatt, Paula Rohrlick, wrote that the author "is terrific at rendering realistic teen speak and creating believable, self-deprecating heroines." Amy Patrick noted in School Library Journal that Avalon High "is well done with good characters."

How to Be Popular features Steph, who reads a book titled How to Be Popular as she prepares to enter the eleventh grade. Each chapter begins with tips from the guidebook as Steph gains popularity in school but still has difficulties with her love life. In a review in Booklist, Carolyn Phelan called How to Be Popular an "appealing, first-person story of teen yearning, befuddlement, and love." Joanna Solomon wrote in Kliatt that "the voice of Steph is well developed and realistic."

Fashion-history major Lizzie Nichols has to face up to the real nature of her boyfriend in Queen of Babble. After writing her thesis to graduate, Lizzie flies off to London only to find that her boyfriend Andy is not only lying to her about his gambling but also has no clue when it comes to fashion. Deciding to visit a friend in France, Lizzie meets Jean Luc, whose parents happen to own the chateau where a friend of Lizzie's is working. Despite being attracted to Jean-Luc, Lizzie irritates him and her family by her constant talking to virtual strangers about inappropriate subjects. Booklist contributor Carolyn Kubisz noted that the author "writes adult fiction that is just as playful, irreverent, and entertaining" as her young adult books.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 15, 2000, Chris Sherman, review of The Princess Diaries, p. 233; May 1, 2001, Roger Leslie, review of When Lightning Strikes, p. 1744; September 15, 2005, Abby Nolan, review of Ready or Not: An All-American Girl Novel, p. 57; November 15, 2005, Gillian Engberg, review of Size 12 Is Not Fat: A Heather Wells Mystery, p. 29; February 1, 2006, Cindy Welch, review of Avalon High, p. 43; February 15, 2006, Cindy Welch, review of Party Princess, p. 92; May 15, 2006, Carolyn Kubisz, review of Queen of Babble, p. 22; September 15, 2006, Carolyn Phelan, review of How to Be Popular, p. 69; November 15, 2006, Gillian Engberg, review of Size 14 Is Not Fat Either, p. 35.

Entertainment Weekly, December 1, 2006, Leah Greenblatt, review of Size 14 Is Not Fat Either, p. 91.

Horn Book, January-February, 2006, Jeannine M. Chapman, review of Avalon High, p. 74.

Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2005, review of Size 12 Is Not Fat, p. 1108; December 1, 2005, review of Avalon High, 1272; April 15, 2006, review of Queen of Babble, p. 366; August 1, 2006, review of How to Be Popular, p. 782.

Kliatt, May, 2005, Paula Rohrlick, review of The Princess Diaries Volume VI: Princess in Training, p. 8; July, 2005, Paula Rohrlick, review of Ready or Not: An All-American Girl Novel, p. 8; January, 2006, Paula Rohrlick, review of Avalon High, p. 5; March, 2006, Joanna Solomon, review of Party Princess, p. 8, and Stephanie Squicciarini, review of Twilight, p. 26; May, 2006, Paula Rohrlick, review of Princess in Training, p. 17; July, 2006, Joanna Solomon, review of How to Be Popular, p. 8.

Library Journal, December 1, 2005, Shelley Mosley, review of Size 12 Is Not Fat, p. 106.

Orlando Sun-Sentinel, August 3, 2001, Catherine Hinman, review of Princess in the Spotlight; May 13, 2002, Nancy Pate, review of Princess in the Spotlight.

Philadelphia Inquirer, September 12, 2006, David Hiltbrand, "Girls' Writer Knows How to Be Popular."

Publishers Weekly, November 30, 1998, review of Portrait of My Heart, p. 69; October 18, 1999, review of An Improper Proposal, p. 78; October 9, 2000, review of The Princess Diaries, p. 88; November 6, 2000, review of Shadowlands, p. 92; December 11, 2000, review of Lady of Skye, p. 68; July 9, 2001, review of The Princess Diaries, p. 21; October 29, 2001, review of Educating Caroline; November 17, 2003, review of Boy Meets Girl, p. 42; August 30, 2004, review of Teen Idol, p. 56; October 3, 2005, review of Size 12 Is Not Fat, p. 49; October 9, 2006, review of Size 14 Is Not Fat Either, p. 40; August 7, 2006, review of How to Be Popular, p. 61; August 28, 2006, Michelle Kung, "Return to Camelot," discusses purchase of Avalon High for film, p. 9.

School Library Journal, October, 2000, Debbie Stewart, review of The Princess Diaries, p. 155; April, 2005, Erin Dennington, review of Every Boy's Got One, p. 161; October, 2005, Amy Patrick, review of Ready or Not, p. 154; January, 2006, Amy Patrick, review of Avalon High, p. 129; August, 2006, Stephanie A. Squicciarni, review of The Party Princess, p. 59.

ONLINE

Bookreporter.com,http://www.bookreporter.com/ (December 26, 2006), Terry Miller Shannon, reviews of Size 12 Is Not Fat, Size 14 Is Not Fat Either, and Queen of Babble; also interview with author.

Internet Movie Database,http://www.imdb.com/ (December 26, 2006), information on film adaptations from author's books.

Meg Cabot Book Club Web site,http://www.megcabotbookclub.com/ (December 26, 2006).

Meg Cabot Home Page,http://www.megcabot.com (December 26, 2006).

Meg Cabot MySpace Profile, http://www.myspace.com/meg_cabot (December 26, 2006).

NNDB,http://www.nndb.com/ (December 26, 2006), facts about the author.

Readers Read,http://www.readersread.com/ (December 26, 2006), "Interview with Patricia Cabot."

Romance Reader,http://www.theromancereader.com/ (December 26, 2006), Cathy Sova, "Meet Author Meg Cabot."

TeenReads.com,http://www.teenreads.com/ (December 26, 2006), Amy Alessio, reviews of How to Be Popular, Sweet Sixteen Princess, Princess in Training, Princess in Pink and Party Princess; Terry Miller Shannon, review of Size 12 Is Not Fat; Belinda Williams, reviews of Avalon High and Holiday Princess; Carlie Webber, reviews of Ready or Not and Teen Idol; Carlie Kraft, reviews of Haunted and All-American Girl; Jennifer Abbots, review of Princess in the Spotlight; also interviews with author.

Zap2it.com,http://www.zap2it.com/ (August 19, 2004), "Two More Movies for ‘Princess Diaries’ Author."