On the Eve of April Fools...

I love this holiday.  What?  April 1st isn't a real holiday?  Well it is for me.  I think humor is one of the best parts of being human, so a day that's all about the funny?  Love it!

My family loves some April foolin' too.  One year my mom put plastic wrap on the toilet.  Do you know what happens when you put plastic wrap over the toilet?  That's right, you end up peeing all over yourself.  Hilarious.  Disgusting, but hilarious.  I thought it was so funny that I brought the plastic wrap to school and covered those toilets too!

In fifth grade, I convinced my teacher to write me a suspension notice saying I pulled the fire alarm.  My mom didn't believe it for a second.

When my sister was about twenty, she called my mom and told her she was pregnant, and oh my God, she couldn't handle it and won't my mom raise her baby?  When my mom said no, she even started crying.  April Fools!

I love pulling pranks on my students, too.  I've gotten them good with the fake high stakes district test that I forgot to warn them about.  I've even passed out tests and watched them struggle through it for a few minutes.

Last year, two female students really got me.  They started bickering and it escalated until they were cussing and then jumped at each other as if to fight.  I ran between them, shouting, red in the face, and the whole class erupted in laughter.

I also love all the shenanigans on the internet on April 1st.  Absolute Write is always a fun place on April Fool's Day.  The best part of the online foolery is the people who haven't quite caught on and leave confused or even angry comments on foolish forums.

Really, the key to a good April Fool's joke is to get 'em early.  Because most people, once they're fooled once, will not be fooled twice--at least not in the same day.  I won't believe anything anyone tells me tomorrow.  Last year a friend emailed saying he was engaged. I just thought, what a weird April Fool's Day joke.  It wasn't.

I was thinking about pranks and April Fool's Day in terms of this whole writing game.  Agents and editors hold so many dreams in their hands.  I wonder if any of them are tempted to play a prank or two? OK, if my agent called and said "You have a mega 3-book deal!....April Fools!"  I'd be devastated, that would be totally cruel.  But the other way around?  "Sorry, I just can't sell your book....except I just did!"  Might be kind of cool.....Ok, just kidding.  I'm way too fragile when it comes to this publishing dream to be toyed around with.  I bet most writers feel the same way.

What about you?  Any good April Fools Day pranks?