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Lisa Yee is an author. She has been a journalist, written for television, and penned lyrics for jingles. Her first kids' novel, MILLICENT MIN, GIRL GENIUS won the Sid Fleischman Humor Award and some other stuff. Her second novel, STANFORD WONG FLUNKS BIG-TIME is an ALA Notable Book, and SO TOTALLY EMILY EBERS was released by Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic in 2007. GOOD LUCK, IVY also debuted in 2007 and is published by American Girl.
Lisa first YA novel, ABSOLUTELY MAYBE will be out in 2009 and so will the first of her chapter book series BOBBY ELLIS-CHAN in BOYS VS. GIRLS. Both are published by Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic.
You can find out more about Lisa at http://www.lisayee.com.
And please check out AS IF!
AS IF! (Authors Supporting Intellectual Freedom) champions those who stand against censorship, especially of books for and about teens. Check out http://www.asifnews.blogspot.com for more information.
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So, while the rest of us were galavanting around town with our dear friends . . .
Our Celebrity Judges have been hard at work . . .
Oops. I meant THESE judges: Elizabeth Bluemle and Josie Levitt of The Flying Pig Bookstore in Vermont . . .
And, Vroman's Children's Book Department Manager Kris Vreeland . . .
It was soooooo hard to select the best out of (practically) four million entries, but YES! we have a WINNER for Lisa Yee's 42nd Annual Bodacious Book Contest!!!!
But first, let's review the fine prizes . . .
(Disclaimer: Peep not included.)
And up close . . .
And really, really up close, here's perhaps the most coveted of the prizes, a lovely petrified orange that sat on my desk for who-knows-how-long . . .
So, now . . . the Grand Prize winner is . . .
Oh wait. Before we get to that, I want to do some special shout outs! Hubby, Teen, Son and I made our own selections. The authors of these entries can bask in the knowledge that they have been laughed at, and I mean that in the nicest possible way . . .
The Teen and Son selection is . . .
Book: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Summary by Really Ginny: Don't give a mouse a cookie
(Note: Couldn't find my copy of IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE, so I put an Edward Gorey title in its place)
The Hubby (he's the one on the left) call out goes to . . .
Book: The Hobbit
Summary by Shannon Brewer: Previously unadventurous halfling battles dragon, wins.
And my personal favorite was . . . I'll tell you later. But first, the Celebrity Judges Honorable Mentions . . .
Book: Good Night Moon
Summary by Kelly Fineman: Good night, I said good night
Book: I'll Love You Forever
Summary by Alex Flinn: Mom's at the window. Help! Police
Book: Are You There God, It's Me Margaret?
Summary by Jo Whittemore: The book ends with a period.
Summary by Really Ginny: Are You There God….Dear Margaret. Leave a message. God.
Book: Hunger Games
Summary by Jet Harrington: Make friends. Influence people. Escape Death
Book: The Graveyard Book
Summary by Paul Acampora: No body loved Nobody. Somebody lived.
Book: All of a Kind Family
Summary by Jeanne K: Pack of roving sisters terrorize Manhattan.
And now the FIRST RUNNER UP and winner of some prizes, and person to take over the Grand Prize winner's spot if the pressure of being a winner is too much for said Grand Prize Winner . . .
Book: Harold & the Purple Crayon
Summary by Mike Jung: Boy with crayon experiences intense hallucinations
DRUMROLL PLEASE . . . the judges' unanimous pick (and my personal favorite) and winner of the GRAND PRIZE, including the petrified orange . . .
Book: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Summary by Karen B. Schwartz: Five kids get their just desserts.
CONGRATULATIONS KAREN!!!!
(Karen and Mike, please email me via my website so I can send you your fabulous prizes.)
Thank you to all who entered the contest. Your summaries were magnificent and so are you!
And for anyone attending the NCTE Convention (National Convention of Teachers of English) in Philadelphia this weekend, here's my schedule . . .
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21
12:30-2:30pm Books for Children Luncheon - featuring Brian Selznick
2:00-3:00pm Scholastic Signing—Booth #618 with Patrick Carman
4:15-5:30pm Authors' Blogs: Connections, Collaboration, and Creativity with with Laurie Halse Anderson, Barbara O'Connor, Maureen Johnson and Justine Larbalestier - Convention Center-Room 103A
5:45-7:45pm 77th Annual M.R. Robinson Reception & Dinner - Marriott, Grand Ballroom
8:00pm Night Cap Social with the Alliance for Young Artists, the National Writing Project, with Alice Quinn, the Executive Director of the Poetry Society of America - Marriott—Salon B
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22
10:00-11:30am Scholastic Literary Brunch . . .
I am soooooo sorry! I know I said we'd announce the winner of the Bodacious Book Contest. However, the entries were so great that the judges are still deliberating. Soon! Soon! We will crown our winner soon!!!
In the meantime, recently Peepy and I were lucky enough to see our friend David Levithan at Vroman's.
David, who is also VP/Editorial Director at Scholastic, was on tour for his latest novel, LOVE IS THE HIGHER LAW. Yes, he is an overachiever and we wish he would stop. (He makes us look like slackers.)
Anyway, before David's event, we bumped into authors Cecil Castellucci and Blake Nelson. They were browsing . . .
Here's David from where we were sitting . . .
And here he is, up close and personal . . .
A raffle was held for an ARC (advanced readers copy) of David's upcoming blockbuster bestseller, WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON, hence to be known as WG2. He wrote it with uber author John Green. Here's John with WG2 editor Julie Strauss-Gabel . . .
Guess who won????
Teen was with us, so I had David sign the book to . . . ME!
(He signed LOVE IS THE HIGHER LAW for her.)
Not to rub it in, but . . . hahahahaha!!! The book doesn't come out until April 2010 and I've already read it, and loved it!!!
I asked John Green about the title and main characters' names. Why not call it, "JOHN GREEN, JOHN GREEN" or "DAVID LEVITHAN, DAVID LEVITHAN"?
And he said, "We chose the name in advance--it was one of the few things picked at the outset. David chose the Will and I chose the Grayson." Then he added, "We wanted to call it PEEPY, PEEPY, but her lawyers wouldn't let us." (Okay, maybe he didn't say that last sentence--but he probably thought it.)
In other news . . . YES! I just finished the line-edits of BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY), the second book in the Bobby Ellis-Chan series. I was having problems with the endings and kept scribbling notes . . .
I even wrote the perfect last line in my sleep. But in the morning, when I looked at the paper I wrote it on, MY PEN HAD GONE DRY.
That's okay. I came up with a better line when I was awake. And now it's done! I've sent off the manuscript to these fine editors in NYC . . .
(That would be Cheryl Klein, on left, Moi in the middle, and Arthur Levine.)
And finally, fashion tip of the week. Don't iron. Use this . . .
It's what busy authors and others everywhere use to get rid of wrinkles! Sadly, it only works on clothes.
Alrighty. Getting ready to rumble with Laurie Halse Anderson, Barbara O'Connor, Maureen Johnson and Justine Larbalestier at the NCTE Convention in Philadelphia this weekend.
We're all on a panel together.
The topic is one of the following:
Dentistry
Blogging
Quick 'n' Easy Crock Pot Recipes
Our Celebrity Judges . . .
. . . are still hard at work pouring over the (practically) millions of contest entries for the Bodacious Book Contest.
So, Peepy and I decided that while they were working, we'd have some fun!
Yes! We went to see NPR's Wait, Wait . . . Don't Tell Me! live at the Pasadena Civic Center . . .
We got there early so Peepy could chat with some of her friends. Then we found our seats . . .
The panelists were these funny people . . .
Here's the crew setting up . . .
Then the show began! The guest star who played "Not My Job" was . . . squint and see if you can tell . . .
Yes! It was George Takei, a.k.a. Sulu from Star Trek, the original series.. Peepy was thrilled that she got to meet him in person . . .
(Okay, so maybe she didn't actually meet him in person. But don't tell her that.)
It was so cool because we are fans and there's even a Star Trek geek featured one of my upcoming books!
The show was amazing and funny. It was called an "evergreen" because they're not sure when it's going to air--but it will be repeated several times, as needed or when the staff goes on vacation.
In the meantime, here's this weekend's show with Tony Hawk as guest star. And here's Tony Hawk when he autographed Son's skateboard deck . . .
Oops! Back to the show!!!
Afterward, the audience rushed the stage. It was exactly like a U2 concert!!!! Almost.
It was all so fun that as soon as we got home, Peeps told Chekov all about meeting Sulu and told him that she now wants her own radio show . . .
BTW, if you're a grandparent, have a grandparent, or know a grandparent, CHECK THIS OUT. Yes! AARP likes Bobby!!!
(Above: Me and my grandmother at my uncle's wedding.)
Also, I thought this was totally cool. CLICK HERE to find out about the fork in the road . . .
And in honor of Tony Hawk, there's this . . .
Yep. The Lisa Yee's 42nd Annual Bodacious Book Contest is now closed. You can check out the hilarious entries by CLICKING HERE and picking your favorites.
As you are reading this, our Celebrity Judges are pouring over the entries and making their decisions. In the meantime, I thought I'd pass along some sage advice . . .
Do not put your vitamins, like Omega 3 fish oil, in the same bag as your candy, like Hot Tamales. That's right. Recently, I accidentally bit into a fish oil capsule. Ewwww.
On a happier note: Winnie-the-Pooh.
There's been a lot of fuss about the authorized sequel to A.A. Milne's classic Winnie-the-Pooh stories. I'm in the camp of Good-For-You-Who-Put-Out-The-New-Book-However-I-Think-I-Will-Pass.
As some of you know, I have the second largest collection of Winnie-the-Pooh stuff in America. Here's what happened. I started collecting when I was seven and Santa brought me my first Pooh bear . . .
. . . and it didn't stop collecting until May 12, 2003 . . .
That's because, on that day I shipped off over EIGHTY BOXES of my Poohs to the White River Heritage/Pooh Museum in Canada . . .
My collection had gotten too big, and my Pooh-addiction had gotten out of hand . . .
My family was moving from Orlando, Florida to South Pasadena, CA, and our new house was much smaller. (L.A. prices will do that to you.) So I decided to send them to White River in Ontario Canada, the home of the bear Winnie is named after.
White River was in the process of building a Pooh Museum and I thought it would better for everyone to enjoy the collection than for it to sit in storage.
It took a lot of doing, including making up a list for customs. For an entire week, I prepped the big handoff. I'd put my Poohs on a white sheet and photograph them, then list their value (and wish each and every one a sad good-bye) . . .
Then, after about four days of this, I realized . . . DUH!!! I don't need to put them on the sheet . . . I can just take photos of each shelf . . .
Oh well.
Yes, I do miss my Winnie-the-Poohs. Although I have kept over 100 or so. Plus, there are the memories of them. In addition writing Pooh articles for magazines, every year the pre-schoolers of Park Lake in Orlando would visit my collection.
I don't know who had more fun, me or the kids!!!
Disclaimer: The pictures of the Poohs are actually better looking in person. I was too lazy to take them out of the plastic folders they were in when I photographed them. Hence the weird glare.
What do these people have in common, besides their obvious beauty?
Yes! All (or most) have been esteemed celebrity judges for my past Book Contests!!! They include:
Sid Fleischman, National Treasure and Newbery Winner
Arthur Levine, Scholastic Vice President/Publisher of Arthur A. Levine Books, editor of the Harry Potter series, and the man who rescued me from the slush pile
Bruce Coville, bestselling author and Full Cast Audio President
Jodi Reamer, Writers House agent to that Twilight author and Moi
Cheryl Klein, AAL Books senior editor and fabulous blogger
Betsy Bird, prolific blogger, librarian and Newbery Judge
KT Horning, Newbery Judge and director of the CCBC
Carla Kozak, librarian, coffee drinker and Newbery Judge
Michael Stearns, Peep critiquer and literary agent
Mark Teague, author and New York Times Bestselling illustrator
Adam Rex, author/illustrator and New York Times Bestselling Guy
David Lubar, Rotten author with over 2,000,000 books in print
Linda Sue Park, maggot mess survivor and Newbery Winner
And now . . . this year's good-looking, talented, smart, witty, celebrity judges are all independent booksellers!
They include, Elizabeth Bluemle and Josie Levitt of The Flying Pig Bookstore in Vermont . . .
Here's Josie (left) and Elizabeth holding their Lucile Micheels Pannel Award, which celebrates bookstores "that excel at inspiring the interest of young people in books and reading."
(As if running a bookstore isn't time-consuming enough, overachievers that they are, Elizabeth is also an author and Josie is also an avid blogger!)
Our other judge hails from Pasadena . . . Vroman's Children's Book Department Manager Kris Vreeland . . .
Vroman's is my local independent bookstore and the Book Launch Party for BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) was held there . . .
Plus, Vroman's was named a Publisher's Weekly Bookstore of the Year.
Okay, so remember CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE CONTEST or to read the hilarious entries and laugh so hard that your beverage of choice will come out your nose!!!
THE CONTEST WILL CLOSE ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4th at 7:57 p.m. West Coast Time.
*If I missed any judges, please speak up. I am brain farting right now.
Yes! Yes! It's that time o' year again . . . LISA YEE'S 42nd ANNUAL BODACIOUS BOOK CONTEST!!!!
In the past, we rhymed words to make a new title. Out of the zillions of entries this was the winner . . .
THE FIREPOWER OF LUCKY
Confused by what she overhears at AA meetings, and frustrated by controversy surrounding the ALA, a little girl seeks comfort in the NRA.
We've changed a single letter to make something new. Out of the ravillion entries the judges picked . . .
BILLY'S PURPLE PLASTIC PURSE
When Billy brings his latest fashion accessory to school, Mr Slinger helps the kindergarten class understand that it's okay for Billy to march to the beat of a different drummer.
This year we're up to something different . . . book SUMMARIES . . . in Six Words!!! (I was inspired by SIX WORD MEMOIRS where people pen their life story in six words.)
Only, here's our version and your assignment . . .
1. Select a children's/young adult book that most people are familiar with (it's okay if someone else has selected the same book)
2. Think, think, think . . . then in SIX WORDS sum up the ENTIRE STORY or convey the ESSENCE of the story.
3. Submit the title and your summary to this LIVE JOURNAL** blog under COMMENTS (if are not registered to Live Journal, that's okay -- just include your name)
Examples:
Book: Old Yeller
Summary: Good dog. Bad dog. Dead dog.
Book: The Giving Tree
Summary: Boy abuses tree for personal gain.
Book: Twilight
Summary: All because she smelled really good.
Who will be the judge of your work? Past celebrity judges have included Newbery Award judges, high powered literary agents, Newbery winners, NY Times Bestselling illustrators, and more. This year's judges will be revealed on a later blog.
And as always, we have FABULOUS prizes, which will include, but are not limited to and may change, an autographed copy of BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY), an autographed copy of ABSOLUTELY MAYBE, a nice collection of ostrich egg jelly beans, an orange that sat in my office for so long it petrified, some pom poms, and a plastic frog.
(Disclaimer: Peep not included. Objects are bigger than they appear.)
The contest will run about a week or maybe a little more. Ready . . . set . . . go . . . !!!!
(**Facebook people, MySpace people and Red Room people, others, PLEASE POST ALL ENTRIES ON THE LIVE JOURNAL SITE. Only LiveJournal entries will be considered.)
After hobnobbing with beauty queens at the Moon Festival . . .
Peepy donned her own crown. She was feeling quite hoity toity because her very first interview has been published in 2010 Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market . . .
And yes, that is a photo of Her Peepness with Julie Andrews . . .
There's an interview with Moi in the book, too . . .
You can CLICK HERE to see a cool book trailer about CWIM 2010!
Then, if that's not enough, our great friend, author and professional pumpkin carver, David LaRochelle created this masterpiece of Peepness. . .
Of course, all this attention went to Peep's head and, diva that she is, Peepy insisted on a spa day. I thought she deserved it since she met so many of her fans during our World International Cross Country Midwest Division BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) Book Tour . . .
So off to the spa it was . . .
Peeps donned a couture super deluxe robe . . .
Then she went into the healing waters . . .
Later, it was time for the sauna . . .
And viola . . . a lovely, fluffy, Peepy . . .
If you'd like to meet Peepy in person, come to the BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) Book Launch Party this Sunday!!!!
Illustrator Dan Santat and Moi will also be there!!
Book Launch Party
Vroman's Pasadena
Sunday, October 18th at 2 p.m.
Okay, so I admit, I was mad at Dan Santat and posted this on my last blog . . .
But I'm not mad at him anymore. In fact, I love him . . .
Why? Because he made this totally awesome, cool, fun, donutty video about our BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) Book Launch Party . . .
(Donuts feature prominently in the book.)
Book Launch Party
Vroman's Pasadena
Sunday, October 18th at 2 p.m.
Free fun. Free donuts. Free money. (Well, two of the three.)
Above: This original museum-quality illustration will be given out to a lucky winner!
(Disclaimer: No purchase necessary, must be present to accept prize, children under four months old must be accompanied by parent, bribes accepted.)
And finally, who's that girl??
CLICK HERE to find out how/why Bobby Ellis-Chan, hero of BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) has an arch enemy named Jillian ZARR . . . and what National Book Award Finalist was "exploited" in the name of literature.
The World Wide International Cross Continent BOBBY VS. GIRLS ACCIDENTALLY Tour continues. This time, West Coast Division.
Our California debut took place at the Moon Festival, sponsored by the South Pasadena Chinese-American Club . . .
It was grand fun, except that four times I was mistaken for NY Times bestselling author Lisa See. This happens a lot.
(Above: One is Lisa See and the other is Lisa Yee.)
BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) illustrator/neighbor/friend Dan Santat and Moi were given our own booth. It even included a kid reading a book . . .
Here we are on the steps of the South Pasadena Library singing 1970's hits and doing impersonations of obscure Oscar winners. Or maybe, reading from, and talking about, BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) . . .
(Celeb that he is, Dan donned his shades so he wouldn't be mobbed.)
Later, Peepy hobnobbed with beauty queens as they begged her for fashion tips . . .
I got a bit miffed at Dan. Because of where we were sitting, I always signed the books first. Bobby's campaign slogan is "BOBBY ROCKS!" So, I'd write, "You rock!"
Then, I'd pass the book to Dan, and he'd write on the page BEFORE mine, "You totally rock!" PLUS draw a picture of Bobby. . .
Thus making me a redundant undraw-er. Dan thought this was very funny, especially since I didn't discover it until the end of the festival.
That's okay though, because I am an author and can name my next villain . . . San Dantat.
While we were in our special booth, Dan drew this picture featuring characters from our book . . .
(People seemed more interested in watching him draw, than watching me write.)
It's going to be a prize at our official BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) Book Launch Party. Hope you can come. Here's the scoop:
Book Launch Party
Vroman's Pasadena
Sunday, October 18th at 2 p.m.
Free fun. Free donuts.
Pssst . . . CLICK HERE for an interview with Moi on KidsReads.com.
I'm home now after two weeks on the road for the BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) Worldwide International Cross-Continent Everywhere Midwest Division Tour. However, through the magic of my time machine, I'll take you back to where I was . . .
After we left Milwaukee, we headed to Madison for the SCBWI Wisconsin Fall Retreat. Peepy was presented with an honorary cheesehead hat prior to my keynote to these future mega-million lottery winners . . .
Later, it was time for manuscript critiques. Peepy was excited because she was sure her four-volume epic memoir would garner lavish praise from awesome author Tammi Sauer and editors Krista Marino from Delacorte/Random House, Lauren Hodge from Little Brown, and Tricycle Press's Abigail Samoun
Sadly, Peeps was not offered a contract. So she consulted with walking-encyclopedia-of-children's-literature Kathleen Horning who suggested that Peepy write a book before she try to sell it.
Instead of getting right to work, Peepy opted to explore the Bishop O'Connor Conference Center where the retreat was held . . .
Later, at the booksigning, I tried to talk and autograph at the same time. Oops. Couldn't do it. I spelled my name wrong. Don't you hate it when that happens?
After the weekend conference, it was back on the road. This time to Pewaukee and Horizon School. Here's the wonderful library, and the awesome 4th and 5th graders . . .
. . . and the super smart 6th graders . . .
(Oops. That last photo was of the honored guests.)
We stayed at a hotel that was also a waterpark! At first, Peep was scared when she saw this sign. But later was relieved that they let me stay . . .
Good thing. Because otherwise I would not have been able to taste cheese curd for the first time and listen to it squeak as I ate it . . .
(As some of you know, I am a fan of cheese. I've even been interviewed about cheese at the Celebrities and Cheese site.)
Finally, after almost two weeks of travel, it was time to head home. But before we left, we made sure to get some Wisconsin cheese and Chicago's Garrett's caramel popcorn . . .
Hey, if you're in the Los Angeles/Pasadena area, I'll be speaking and signing BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) with my illustrator, the multi-talented/multi-purpose Dan Santat at the South Pasadena Chinese-American Club Moon Festival.
South Pasadena Library grounds on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1:30-ish p.m.
I'm home now after two weeks on the road for the BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) Worldwide International Cross-Continent Everywhere Midwest Division Tour. However, through the magic of my time machine, I'll take you back to where I was . . .
After I left Milwaukee, I headed to Madison for the SCBWI Wisconsin Fall Retreat. Peeps was presented with an honorary cheesehead hat prior to my keynote to these future mega-million lottery winners . . .
Later, it was time for manuscript critiques. Peepywas excited because she was sure her four-volume epic memoir would garner lavish praise from awesome author Tammi Sauer and editors
Krista Marino from Delacorte/Random House, Lauren Hodge from Little Brown, and Tricycle Press's Abigail Samoun
Sadly, Peeps was not offered a contract. So she consulted with walking-encyclopedia-of-children's-literature Kathleen Horning who suggested that Peepy write a book before she try to sell it.
Not one to relish hard work, Peepy went exploring instead. . .
At the booksigning, I tried to talk and autograph at the same time. It's didn't work and spelled my name wrong. Don't you hate it when that happens?
After the conference, it was back on the road. This time to Pewaulkee and Horizon School. Here's the wonderful library, and the wonderful 4th and 5th graders . . .
And here are the wonderful 6th graders . . .
(Oops. That last photo was of the honored guests.)
We stayed at a hotel that was also a waterpark! At first, Peep was scared when she saw this sign. But later was relieved that they let me stay . . .
Good thing. Because otherwise I would not have been able to taste cheese curd for the first time and listen to it squeak as I ate it . . .
(As some of you know, I am a fan of cheese. I've even been interviewed about cheese at the Celebrities and Cheese site.)
Finally, after almost two weeks of travel, it was time to head home. But before we left, we made sure to get some Wisconsin cheese and Chicago's Garrett's caramel popcorn . . .
Hey, if you're in the Los Angeles/Pasadena area, I'll be speaking and signing BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) with my illustrator, the multi-talented/multi-purpose Dan Santat at the South Pasadena Chinese-American Club Moon Festival. South Pasadena Library grounds on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) Worldwide International Inter-Continental Cross Country Midwest Tour continues. We were last admiring kids' pictures of Peepy . . .
After, we headed to Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee for a book signing . . .
Our friend, and Scholastic Book Fairs Goddess, Robin Hoffman, met us and showed us the town. Robin is so nice--she even bought Peepy a house!!!
Then we had a DELICIOUS meal at Croquette . . .
The next day, we went to Lincoln Elementary in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin . . .
It was great fun and we celebrated by having dessert . . .
The Little Read Book was that evening. We got to meet these cool teachers and librarians . . .
The next day, we found ourselves in Oconomowoc. So we stopped in at Park Lawn Elementary and Greenland School . . .
It was great fun and we celebrated by having dessert . . .
Later, we did book signings at Books & Company. (The owner, Lisa Badoin, wanted to have her photo taken with Peepy, but couldn't find Peeps.)
Then it was on to Madison where the SCBWI Conference and cheese curds awaited!
The BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) World Wide International Cross Country Midwest Division Tour is underway . . .
Earlier this week I got to visit some incredible Chicago area schools like St. Francis Xavier Elementary in Wilmette, Sauganash Elementary in Chicago, Harper Elementary and Hubbard Woods in Winnetka . . .
Between school visits, Peeps got to see the sights . . .
We also signed books at Barnes and Noble in Skokie . . .
My author escort -- that's the person who makes sure the author gets to where they need to be, and handles author-related meltdowns or whatever needs to be done -- where were we?
Oh yes, Bill Young arranged all my escorts (that sounds a bit sleazy doesn't it?). Also, his partner is the Elizabeth Berg. I'm a huge fan of hers, so Bill got me some signed books!!!
CLICK HERE for a great article about author escorts and their adventures.
Author escorts also know all the great places to eat, like this fun diner . . .
After Chicago, we hit the road and landed in Milwaukee. Here's our hotel . . .
(Pretty swanky, isn't it?!!!)
We had the evening off, so we went here. Peeps and I loved this store, except that Peepy got scared and refused to go look at the horror books . . .
Next blog: Peepy takes over Milwaukee!
The Anderson's YA Literature Conference in Naperville, IL was a blast. I shared the stage with Jill Wolfson and NY Times Bestselling author Ellen Hopkins . . .
Here's the view from where we sat . . .
Ellen's been the target of lots of controversy lately. Some of her books deal with the horrors of drug addiction and a small, but vocal contingency, doesn't think her books should be as realistic as they are. This is Banned Book Week and we hope that Ellen, and other authors who's books are being banned, will hang in there!
Back to the conference. Other authors who spoke included National Book Award Winner Judy Blundeli, plus my wonderful friend Kerry Madden and dragonologist James Owen.
To read the heart-wrenching article Kerry recently wrote for the LA Times, CLICK HERE.
Another NY TImes bestselling author who spoke at the conference was Libba Bray. Libba and I both have stories in GEEKTASTIC: STORIES FROM THE NERD HERD. Six years ago, Libba and I also shared this distinction along with another unknown named Christopher Paolini.
It's always fun to hang around with Newbery Honoree and fellow Sid Fleischman Award Winner Gennifer Choldenko . . .
So, what did all the authors talk about when they got together? Literary inspirations? Books? The writing life? Nooooo . . . we all raved about our hotel room bathrooms!!!!
Can you tell what this is?
It's a TELEVISION that's projected onto the BATHROOM MIRROR!!! So now you know.
BTW, I'll be transitioning from the ABSOLUTELY MAYBE part of my book tour . . .
. . . to the BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) part and blogging about that soon . . .
In the meantime, if you'd like to hear a clip of me reading from ABSOLUTELY MAYBE, CLICK HERE and hit "Sample." Please note, this is PG-13.
Next Blog: Chi-Town tour.
On Thursday morning, we left the house at 6:30 a.m. and one delayed flight and four Advil later, made it to Chicago!!!
Peepy and I were meeting the rest of our Scholastic posse so, while we waited, Peeps went on the rides at O'Hare . . .
A short time later, our Scholastic publicists, Becky Amsel and Amanda "Mandy" Vega met us. In tow were authors, National Book Award Winner Judy Blundell and the fabulous Lisa Ann Sandell . . .
(Above: JudyLisaPeepLisa)
We headed downtown to admire the sights before dinner-- like the Chicago skyline, and the Bean sculpture at Millennium Park . . .
Next it was off to The Art Institute of Chicago where there was an exhibit of Caldecott Art and other amazing stuff . . .
Followed by a scrumptious dinner . . .
The next morning, Anderson's Bookshop had arranged for us to visit Glenbard East High School. The kids were great and after our presentation there was a lot of commotion. Peeps and I thought it was for us, but instead, there was a fire drill. Only is wasn't a drill . . . there was a fire . . .
It was very exciting, and no one was hurt. So then, it was on to Glenbard South where we had a wonderful time . . .
Next blog: Anderson's Young Adult Literature Conference. In the meantime, here's a Jackson Pollock we saw that the museum . . .
To create your own Pollock-ish painting, CLICK HERE for an absolutely awesome sight. Here's one I made . . .
Soon I will be flying over the clouds on my way to Chicago's O'Hare Airport.
Actually, no. I'll probably be pulled out of the security line at the airport again since I travel with a laptop, projector, etc. Plus, Peepy is on some sort of high security list ever since she attacked fashion icon/literary agent Mark McVeigh. (He wouldn't get her a book deal for her epic memoir.)
Anyway, I'll blog about the Anderson's YA Conference and the Illinois/Wisconsin BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) World Wide International Cross Continent Book Tour as it happens.
In the meantime, Peeps wanted me to show you her new cars . . .
She is so proud of them, even if they are used. Can you identify who the past owners were?
And I wanted to show you the handout the totally cool Scholastic people created for conferencees, conventioneers, and teachers . . .
Lastly, can you guess what these are for?
If you said, "Well Lisa, I would guess that you are going to give these to the adorable little children on Halloween?" Then you would be . . . BEEEEP. Wrong!
The lollipops are all for ME. Yes, it's my latest obsession. Sorbee Lollipops. They're sugar free, and I keep 'em near me at all times when I write.
The next blog . . . will be from the Windy City. Which is totally different from the Windy City, as in: windy 2 |ˈwīndē| adjective -- (of a road or river) following a curving or twisting course.
Okay, so I'm gearing up to go out of town for two weeks. Mostly for the BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) World International Cross-Continent Book Tour!!!
Only, it will take place in the midwest, starting with Chicago. Here's the schedule.
(Above: Kris Vreeland, manager of Vroman's children's book department, encourages everyone to purchase at lest four copies of the book.)
Even though I leave on Thursday, there's LOTS of prep and organization that needs to be done now. (Writing speeches, crafting presentations, critiquing manuscripts, etc.)
Here's the itinerary that my wonderful Scholastic publicist, Samantha Wolfert, put together . . .
Since life can get so discombobulating, I keep a binder to sort out all my upcoming author appearances . . .
Plus, I have lots of lists, like the one that Chekov is holding . . .
(See that small bowl of pink things on my desk? Can you guess what they are? The answer is at the bottom of this blog.)
Prior to the BOBBY tour, I'll be in at the Anderson's YA Conference talking ABSOLUTELY MAYBE . . .
(Uber picture book author/illustrator Jarrett Krosoczka relaxes with his favorite book.)
For the BOBBY tour, I needed to create a new presentation. So I did it on my iMac using iPhotos. And then I uploaded it to my iPod, which I will hook up to my projector and show via a wireless remote!
Alright, okay, yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking. "Lisa, given your history is it safe for you to go so high tech?"
The answer is: No.
Anyway, to see where I'll be, CLICK HERE to take you to the calendar. (And once you're there, hit AGENDA)
Oh! And remember my, er Scrivener situations? (Which, I hasten to add, were all author errors.) . . .
Well, now that everything is squared away, and I am more in love with Scrivener than ever before (having watched the tutorial video, which I should have done YEARS ago), guess who has a testimonial on the Scrivener website??? You can CLICK HERE to read my raves and those of other authors.
----
Answer at the bottom of this blog: If you said, "earplugs" you are correct!!!! I use them when Son and Teen and their friends are especially loud.
Not too long ago, the scalawag Roger Sutton, he of the highly esteemed HORN BOOK Magazine, invited me to write an essay. The topic?
TROUBLE.
Why would he ask me, I wondered? I've never, ever, ever, been in trouble, sort of.
So I wrote the essay anyway. My topic? "Classic Trouble."
Without giving too much away, I discussed how, when Son was small, I'd read to him every night. His choice. But as he got older and wilier, he started picking books not by their content, but length. Anything to stay up later. Which lead us to a series of 2000-page (or so it seemed) books.
My essay covered how those DISNEY CLASSICS mysteriously disappeared from our house. Ahem.
Speaking of books,
Peepy bought this one because she like the color of the cover . . .
HOW I BECAME A FAMOUS NOVELIST is a hysterical satire about the literary world. We both read it and fell over laughing . . . and crying, because some of his jabs at the publishing business were spot on.
What is it about books about books? I love 'em. Here is a teeny tiny itsty bitsy sample* of some of my book books . . .
And finally . . .
(After I turned in the final draft of my first novel, I bought this book and read it to make sure I had written my book correctly.)
What books about books do you love?
*I have many more books about books, but I was getting tired. Plus I felt the need to have a snack.
As some of you know, I have a sordid history with Apple products.
It's a complicated co-dependent relationship, and just when I think I'm in the clear, I get pulled back in. Now, a lot of good has come from me and Mac, like six books. However, there is a dark side. And a dark side. And a dark side.
Okay, so a couple of days after I wiped out my website, I deleted several days of work from Scrivener. Sigh.
It's time. It's time, I thought, to call in an expert. Enter, Scott Bly, computer guy. He gave me the bad news . . .
BTW, the computer guy on the left is my old one, and the computer guy on the right is my new one (who also specializes in Mac, and hence I called him. Plus, he's also a Scholastic author.) Anyway, all computer guys seem to strike the same pose . . .
And both had the same response when first entering my office . . .
. . . which was to want to run, but instead, acted brave. (For the record, I have a lot of stuff, but my office is clean.)
Back to Mac.
Who knew that when your laptop makes funny noises it's going to die?
Who knew that when you are creating a site on iWeb, you should hit "save."
Who knew that when working on Scrivener, you should not keep overwriting the same document with the same name?
Who knew?
Not me.
Then, the real pain came. It was time, I was told, for a new laptop computer. (Because I travel so much, I need a laptop in addition to the iMac that sits on my desk.)
We went to the Apple Store, and I had a bad reaction when Scott told me that Apples don't grow on trees . . .
Yes, I bit the dust and bought a new Mac Power Book. (Scott insisted I get the warranty. He calls my computer foibles, "Lisa-isms.") Then I said, "I need to put Scrivener on the new laptop, so should I just buy another copy?"
To which he had a meltdown.
Who knew that you didn't need to keep buying the same software, but could use it on different computers as long as you are the only one using it? A very gracious (and smart and talented) David person at Scrivener confirmed that for me. Plus offered me a REFUND, because I had bought their product four times. Then I was thanked for being their "best customer."
So what is Scrivener? Thousands of you have asked me that before. (Well, at least three people have.)
If you work on a Mac and are a writer, Scrivener is a must. It organizes your files, lets you write in separate chapters, and them compiles them for you. Let's you put your research, including videos and photos in a handy folder, etc . . .
I love my Scrivener. And I love my Apple(s). However . . . now I'm using mobile me to sync my iMac, my iPhone, and my Mac Power Book, and iDon't Know if I can handle it. If anyone has tips, warnings, glowing reviews, about Mobile Me, please let me know.
Speaking of websites (let's pretend we were), there's this totally cool, or very hot, your choice, "social media site for the literary world." It's called RED ROOM, and guess what? RED ROOM named BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) their Book of the Day on Tuesday . . .
(Above: My author copies that came in the mail last week.)
Because I am not accomplished at screen grabs, I took a blurry photo of my computer as proof of the aforementioned Book of the Day statement . . .
To see a bigger photo(s) of the RED ROOM site, hold a magnifying glass in front of your computer. I'm not sure why these photos are so small, and the others on this page are so big.
Speaking of websites (now we can say we were, cause it's true!), I spent HOURS and HOURS and HOURS creating a new www.lisayee.com site. And then . . . and then . . . and then . . . my computer crashed. Yes, yes, I know. I have an unhealthy obsessive codependent relationship with my Mac. I love it. It does not love me.
Sigh.
Apparently, when you are working in iWeb, you need to hit SAVE every so often.
Who knew?
Okay, don't answer that.
So anyway, I spent HOURS and HOURS and HOURS recreating a newer www.lisayee.com site. You can CLICK HERE to admire the non-proofread, sort of wobbly, off-centered site, or scroll down for non-screen grabbed photos . . .
I think I left off the contact page, but here it is. (I'm too lazy to take another blurry photo.)
So . . . comments? Suggestions? Offers of free money?
BTW, cleaning up and overhauling my website got me inspired to tackle the refrigerator. I don't know why we hoard condiments we never use, so these got trashed . . .
Is there something in your frig that needs to go?
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