mary e. pearson

On the road . . .

Mon, 12 May 2008 19:19:11 GMT

Hope you all had a great Mother's Day yesterday. My kid's made an awesome Sunday Brunch and we sat on our daughter's patio and watched enormous red tailed hawks gliding over the meadow behind her house, occasionally landing on a tree to survey the meadow for their own brunch. I don't think their brunch was nearly as yummy as mine--and I know it didn't include champagne!

I am getting ready to hit the road on the first of many stops on my book tour. The first stops are this afternoon and this evening in San Diego at:

College Rolando Library at 4pm
6600 Montezuma Rd, San Diego

Rancho Bernardo Library at 6pm
13330 Salmon River Rd, San Diego

Stop by if you're in San Diego!

Then tomorrow morning I am off to several cities in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Ohio for various visits at bookstores and schools. My first visit is with a Mother-Daughter book club that I am really looking forward to. I will also be visiting several middle and high schools to talk about The Adoration of Jenna Fox I think it's going to be a lot of fun to hear teen's thoughts about this book.

The public visits on the tour are:

May 14, 7 pm
Harry Schwartz Bookstore
10976 N. Port Washington Rd.
Mequon, WI 53092

May 16, 7 pm
Books & Co
Dayton Town & Country Shopping Center
350 East Stroop Road
Dayton (Kettering), Ohio

So if you live anywhere nearby I hope you'll come. I'll post pictures when I return!

Friday Few . . .

Fri, 09 May 2008 18:44:32 GMT

1. Some of you may remember my flower pot dilemma. Well I am happy to report that watering hasn't been a problem, and besides laying a fourth egg, we now have babies! They are so tiny they are not even poking their heads above the nest yet. Hunter has taken to being the "bird guardian" standing below the flower pot, which is fine with me because he keeps the ravens away.

2. Speaking of ravens, they are creating a racket outside even as I type and the kids in the neighborhood are cawing right back at them. Why do I find the kid's cawing cute and the raven's annoying?

3. A Publishers Weekly blog ran a piece that Erma Bombeck wrote years ago titled If I had My Life to Live Over. It concluded with: "Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the 'Titanic' who waved off the dessert cart."

Good advice, Erma.

This weekend, don't wave off your dessert. I'm not. I might even have two.

Book Launch!

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:25:11 GMT

I had my book launch in my hometown for The Adoration of Jenna Fox this past weekend. It was wonderful to share the afternoon with friends, family, and neighbors. My sister took photos of the event including this one she artistically altered. Cool. I wish my book glowed on every table.

Before the signing I gave my little ~~spiel~~ well planned talk, and shared a few insights about the book. There was also a photographer from the Union Tribune there and my sister told me he was on the other side of the bookcase behind me getting a picture of the back of my head. Certainly a much better viewpoint.

Then it was time to sign. See those flowers on the corner of the table? A very sweet young man (thanks Dan!) brought those to me.

And of course a picture with my sis who took all the pictures. And I swear we didn't color coordinate our outfits. There were LOTS of blue clothes that day.

When we got back to my house we celebrated and had a butterfly cake that my darling hubby ordered for me.

Oh! And the surprise at my signing!
Guess who came?! Richard Dreyfuss!

Well, not exactly. He was in the store at the time of my signing and then was an awfully good sport when one ~~obnoxious author~~ exuberant author interrupted his browsing and asked if she could have her picture taken with him. It was a fun "close encounter."

Signings and flowers . . .

Fri, 02 May 2008 16:42:15 GMT

A day late for "May Day" here is a little glimpse of the flower fields near my home. They are in their full glory right now.

And this weekend I will be having my first "official" signings:

Saturday May 3 - Carlsbad, CA
Signing and Launch Party, Borders Books, 3-4 pm

Sunday May 4 - San Diego, CA
San Diego Children's Book Festival, signing 12-1

So if you are in the area, come by and say hi!

Not to gloat or anything . . .

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:32:54 GMT

But my guess was right about Matt Lauer in Laos. I know all my nyms!

It's the small thrills, right? And I really suck at Jeopardy so I take what I can. (Maybe I should start watching Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?)

And I meant to post in my middle of the night blog post(this is what happens when you don't have coffee) that Cynthia Leitich Smith posted an interview with me on her blog yesterday about my latest book and writing.

Also, I just got the news that friend and writer, Lisa Harkrader, has won the William Allen White Award (the Kansas state award) for her book Airball: My Life in Briefs. Well deserved! Cheers for Lisa and Airball!

I missed the clue for tomorrow's Where in the World is Matt Lauer, but I think I am too tired to think anyway. Unless it is really easy.

Coffee . . .

Thanks and Matt Lauer

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:07:56 GMT

Thank you all for your good wishes on the release of The Adoration of Jenna Fox yesterday. It is great to celebrate with friends. In other cool news, I also learned yesterday that TAJF has sold Dutch and Australian/New Zealand rights. So we'll have those "nutrients" along with a shrimp on the barbie. Wearing clogs of course.

And now under the category of what you do when you can't sleep in the middle of the night--you figure out . . .

Where in the world is Matt Lauer?

Guess: Laos

Here is my logic as I lay in bed trying to get back to sleep:

Even Prime Number: Two
Homonym: Too
Synonym: Also
Anagram: Laos!

I guess I will find out in three hours, though you East coasters may be finding out right about now. So let me know if my sleeplessness paid off.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:57:04 GMT

It's officially here!

I updated my website with the latest information and reviews!

A round of "nutrients" for everyone on me!

Friday Few . . .

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:55:00 GMT

1. Good news! My publisher passed along the news that The Adoration of Jenna Fox has been named a Book Sense "Top Ten" Book on their Summer 2008 Children's Picks List!

2. After much hesitation I watered the "Martha Stewart Bird Home" very carefully. The bird flew out, almost straight into me, but then--whew--went right back. I guess we have learned to live in harmony.

3. A while back I finally parted with the crib that both of my daughters used as babies. It was hard. But as we were throwing it away (since it is probably not safe by today's standards) I saved one panel. I had an idea for it. Before I put it to use I had my daughters pose with their former digs.

And then I planted the two flower vines next to it.

It will make a great trellis that will make me smile in ways an ordinary trellis couldn't.

LA Times Book Festival and more . . .

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 19:44:36 GMT

I will be signing at the 2008 LA Times Book Festival, this coming Sunday. If any of you are in the area I hope you will come by and say hi. I will be signing at the Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore booth at 1:00. Come!

And I finally got around to putting together my book tour schedule. Some of this will change, and a few places added but this is how it stands right now. I hope I will see you.

April 27 - Los Angeles, CA
LA Times Book Festival, Mysterious Galaxy booth, 1:00

* April 29 *
Official Publication of The Adoration of Jenna Fox!

May 3 - Carlsbad, CA
Signing and Launch Party, Borders Books, 3-4 pm

May 4 - La Jolla, CA
San Diego Children's Book Festival, signing 12-1

May 12 - San Diego, CA
College Rolando Library, 4pm

May 12 - Rancho Bernardo, CA
Rancho Bernardo Library, 6pm

May 13 - Skokie, IL
Skokie Public Library, 7-9 pm

May 14 - Milwaukee, WI
Harry Schwartz Bookstore, 7-8pm

May 15 - Downers Grove, IL
Anderson’s Bookstore, a.m. time TBA

May 16 - Dayton, OH
High School Visits

May 28 - Carlsbad, CA
Middle School Book Club

May 30 - June 1 - Los Angeles, CA - BEA
Signing on Saturday May 31, Table 10, at 9:30 am

June 3 - San Pasqual, CA
Middle School Author Visit

June 27-30 - Anaheim, CA - ALA
Signing on Saturday June 28, Henry Holt booth, 10 am

Voila!

Cover Art . . .

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:53:32 GMT

I am always fascinated by covers. I guess it is the ex artist in me. Not long ago a bookseller told me about another YA out this season that also had a butterfly and hand on the front, Cecilia Galante's, The Patron Saint of Butterflies.

Gorgeous cover but very different from mine. Funny how the art vibes swirl around the planet at the same time. The bookseller said this was the "desert color theme" and mine was the "marine color theme" : )

I think John Green's cover art for his new book Paper Towns has an interesting twist--two covers!

I don't know which one I like better--I guess I will know after I read it. Hm . . . I wonder if your choice says something about your personality?

I love Nancy Werlin's cover for Impossible, her newest book.

Very mysterious and intriguing and just outright beautiful to look at.

What covers have caught your eye lately? And do you have a personal bias?

I know I am always a sucker for photographs and some sort of human element.

Meanwhile, back in the garden . . .

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:21:20 GMT

More writing thoughts.

Things are not always what they seem:

Sometimes a flower pot is not just a flower pot and if you hang around long enough you will discover its true purpose. When I was working on my last manuscript there was a scene where I wanted to bring out the vulnerability and hidden tender side of my tough cookie MC. And so upon visiting her home where she hadn’t been in several years, she would discover that her doll collection was gone from the shelf where she had displayed them–and have a bit of a meltdown. I assumed the dolls were discarded and I would never see them again–just as my MC thought. But we were both wrong. Later I discovered a deeper purpose to the dolls--that this impromptu detail would be pivotal in revealing a secret later on. I love those surprising moments in writing. If you hang in there long enough, they are bound to come.
On Sunday when I was toting that barge and lifting that bale in the yard, I noticed some small birds and their preoccupation with a hanging pot on my patio. I thought they were just taking moss for a nest somewhere, but this went on all day long so I finally got curious and peeked . . .

oh boy.
Not what I expected to see at all.
It is more than a flower pot now.
It is their home sweet home . . .

with triplets on the way! A nice surprise. Needless to say, I didn’t trim off the old flowers or add water to the pot, although before I knew they were there, I was probably drenching the poor darlings on an almost daily basis and it didn’t seem to deter them from moving in. On the other hand, I don’t want all the leaves to shrivel up and die and stop providing protection.

To water or not to water, that is the question. My writing metaphor doesn’t seem to be helping me anymore. Maybe if I hang in there long enough I will figure it out . . . or I will get some great advice from friends?

The full website . . .

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:08:50 GMT

of The Adoration of Jenna Fox is up!

The Holt web guru emailed me yesterday and told me that www.whoisjennafox.com was up and running with all the "extra stuff." The extra stuff includes the book trailer, sample chapters, and lots more.

I loved reading the teen comments! I hadn't seen those yet. : )

Plus the review page included a nice surprise . . .

A snip of starred review #3!

"This is a beautiful blend of science fiction, medical thriller, and teen-relationship novel that melds into a seamless whole that will please fans of all three genres."
--School Library Journal, starred review

Yay!

Gardening (and writing) 101

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:35:18 GMT

I spent almost the whole day outside yesterday working in the garden. Lots of chores to catch up on. I'm feeling a little stiff today. Toting those bags of dirt and heavy pots has a way of catching up with you. Usually when I work in the yard, my thoughts go to the manuscript I'm working on, and a lot seems to get worked out in the physical labor of weeding, digging, and trimming. But right now I don't have a work in progress--I have one book about to be released and another finished draft that I am giving some sitting time so I have distance before beginning a revision.

So instead, as I worked, my thoughts drifted to writing and thinking about the whole process. You'd think by now I would understand it fully and completely, but just as my yard is an ongoing process, established plants rooting out others, new varieties thriving where other plants have continually failed, and annuals that are not meant to live past a season needing to be replanted, my process changes with each book too. Maybe that's what is so enticing about the whole affair in the first place. I never really own it, I just get to go along for the ride. Yeah, complaining a bit at times (like I moan about my back right now) but I'm also completely captivated by the trip once it's done. I guess that's why I go back for more.

I've been asked a lot lately about inspiration (and of course I am hoping some will hit me soon so I can dig in on another. Should I worry?) but one thing I was thinking about yesterday as I was digging and planting is the quote from C.S. Lewis, "We read to know that we are not alone," and I thought about my process in hindsight, and I can't help but wonder if we write to know we are not alone too. We are seeking connection on some level, that our questions are someone else's questions too? And that is usually all I have. Questions, not answers.

More to do in the yard today. But easier stuff. My back needs some distance too. And maybe inspiration will hit me when I'm not looking. It usually does.

My beautiful find . . .

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 19:22:07 GMT

. . . from the nursery yesterday:

Okay, I know what you're thinking. Has she finally lost it? That looks like a big gray toe--with fungus. And it sort of does. It's the kind of plant only a mother plant could love. Homely but cute too. Especially cute when you see what it does . . .

The toe opens up! It is actually called a split rock and according to the label it gets pink satiny flowers. Looking much cuter now isn't it?

I've been making a lot of succulent plant pots lately. For one thing, you can get such an interesting variety of succulents, and for another thing, they don't require much water. In other words, you can practically abuse them and they still look happy. And the flower spikes they get are always a nice surprise.

So now to go plant my toes . . .

Book Countdown!

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 01:04:13 GMT

Okay, THIS is way cool, especially for a number challenged person like me.

Friday Four . . .

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:08:11 GMT

1.) Nothing is ever simple. Plumber came. Plumber fixed. Sort of. It is a temp fix until I get new fixtures. Seems everything in this old house, is well, old. Hopefully no new leaks spring until I can buy some new faucets.

2.) Recent question posed to me by a teen library group: What unusual thing would you like to do, but are too afraid to try? My answer: Paraglide. And one of these days I think I WILL get up the nerve. What would your answer be?

3.) My author copies arrived! YAY!

4.) I am going to the nursery now. I LOVE going to the nursery. If I were to have another job besides writing it might very well be working at Armstrongs. Except I got stung by a bee one time when I was there. I kid you not, the clerk sprayed Windex on me to help the pain go away. I think he was Greek.

Go!

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:28:08 GMT

And there is a party tonight to celebrate this great event from 6-8pm Pacific/9-11pm Eastern at:

http://groups.myspace.com/readergirlz

See you there!

Finally!

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 01:15:21 GMT

Coming up for breath. Last week I was away on a mini pre-pub tour meeting booksellers, librarians, and other folks who love teen literature. Whew! A fun, delicious, whirlwind trip. Our first stop was Seattle. I stayed at the very cool Hotel Max that was very artsy. Here is the door to my room:

Each floor highlighted a different Seattle photographer. My door looked like a skylight that you could walk right through. Luckily, I didn’t. At least not until the door was open.

Our next stop was San Francisco and the Parc 55. Gorgeous hotel and darn, I didn’t get any pics of the bathroom. cynthialord would have loved it. The weather was perfect. Here is the view from my room. Way in the distance you can see the bay. Beautiful, beautiful day and not a patch of fog to be seen. I think it’s a rumor.

And finally our last stop, San Diego. I live not too far from San Diego but I had never heard of or seen the Hotel Salomar. It’s a well kept secret. Very cool decorations that are a combination of beachy theme and animal theme that celebrates the nearby (and world renowned for good reason) San Diego Zoo. The things that really made me smile, were the bathrobes:

Nope, no functional white here. Loved it. I wore the cheetah one. That is cheetah, right?

So enough about the digs--meeting with all the folks on the tour was awesome. It was great to see and talk with so many people who love books–some I already knew, and some I freshly met. I hope to see them all again soon, and I probably will because many of them will be at BEA and at ALA.

I got home last Friday, but I had barely had time to unpack before I had to prepare for a presentation on Monday. It was for about 25 school librarians for their professional growth day at the San Diego County Office of Education. More people who love books. And it was in their technology center so they had every gadget you could imagine. The gadget gurus already had my website set up on the screen when I got there, and later I was able to play my book trailer for them all–on a huge screen!

But the coolest gadget of all which was totally new to me was the DocuCam. Have any of you ever seen one? It looks like an overhead projector, but instead it is a camera looking down at your “stuff.” And it can be ANY stuff! That’s what’s so cool. Overheads, books, you name it. You could put your head on the table and show everyone your tonsils if you wanted to. (I refrained.) But the point is, it can handle any media which makes it so versatile. I brought along some of my research from writing The Adoration of Jenna Fox, with all my scribbled notes on it. The Docucam was so easy to use. You could go from one media to another without having to think about it. And it's nice to use the real stuff instead of always having slick pictures of everything.

So today I am finally catching up, doing laundry, paying a few bills, calling the plumber (that little leak had the nerve to turn into a big leak while I was away) and all that other fun stuff.

I will get my act together soon and post my tour information!

Flight Cancellations . . .

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 19:13:59 GMT

Should I be worried?

Several days ago Cynthia Leitich Smith shared her flight woes and now David Lubar shares more of the same.

I have a lot of traveling coming up in the next several weeks. Should I pack granola bars and hiking boots?

Even if you're having one of those days . . .

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 23:53:16 GMT

ya gotta keep laughing.

It being tax time I found it amusing that this sculpture is outside a CPA firm.

More unusual sculptures here

Also, I updated my website, finally. I added some review snips on The Adoration of Jenna Fox page, and also some links to the latest like the book trailer and also a link to the Discussion Guide (which turned out very cool--written by a bio ethics professor)

I also added a page of faves and unfaves (now who likes potato bugs, would you tell me?) and a few favorite pics.

Operation Teen Book Drop

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 22:25:59 GMT

This is TOO awesome. Check it out.

Indie booksellers, fancy desserts, and tiaras . . .

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:12:38 GMT

The SCIBA (Southern California Independent Booksellers Association) Dinner at the Pasdena Hilton was fun, and Robin Preiss Glasser made it fancy schmancy. Oh how I coveted her sparkly tiara and glittery dress. Robin, of Fancy Nancy fame, was the master of ceremonies for the evening. She was a riot. And this wasn't the only fancy get up she wore. With each introduction her clothes got ~~wackier and wackier~~ fancier and more colorful. Wish I had taken more pictures, but after this first one I was too entranced and later too busy with signing and chatting with booksellers.

Oh, and the booksellers! Wow. Talk about energizing. It is truly amazing to have so many indies in one room. I had some really nice chats with the booksellers at Vromans, Mysterious Galaxy, Mrs. Nelson's Bookshop, Yellow Book Road, A Whale of a Tale, Once Upon a Time, and more. It really is a pleasure to talk to people who are passionate about books--and so knowledgeable about them too.

It was my very first time signing JENNA, and the very first book I signed was to another Mary, and even though it sounds like a common name, I really come across very few. Another first of the evening: For the first time ever, I screwed up as I was signing and had to get a fresh book. My perfect record is broken. sigh.

Oh! And there were very cool desserts in the signing area that I didn't get a chance to eat because I was so busy signing. Ack! Not even a picture! But they were these pretty little artsy things that looked almost too good to eat. More fancy schmancy stuff. I guess that was the theme of the evening.

Don't you love that quote from Alice Hoffman on the banner behind Robin? "Books may well be the only true magic."

So true. But between the booksellers and Robin and her ~~wild~~ gorgeous outfits, the evening had a bit of magic too.

I really am going to get one of those tiaras someday.
I think cynthialord knows where to get them . . .

Much coolness . . .

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 01:09:17 GMT

The squee factor is alive and well. The UPS man brought me a gift today. I wonder if he knows all the squee he brings? Afterall, he doesn't deliver bills or anything like that--just stuff people want. And this was stuff I definitely wanted. My books! The bonafide real thing. This is my fourth novel and I still get very excited. I hope I never become so jaded that it all becomes blase. The day I stop squeeing and ripping open the package is the day I get out of the writing business.

Here they are! More are on their way, but my editor's assistant sent these four so I wouldn't have to wait.

And then more coolness! Beneath the jacket on the cover is an embossed silver butterfly!

And then another cool surprise. I opened it up and on the cover page is this very neat graphic. When we were tossing around cover ideas the handprint idea came up, but I think it is perfect on the inside here. I love this touch.

And last but not least, it took several tries to get this last bit of coolness with the camera because my flash kept washing it out, but the butterfly part of the cover is glossy--the perfect last touch.

And now you can see it is barefoot season too. Yay!
Except for Saturday night where I will dress up for a change. I am going to the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association (SCIBA) banquet in Pasadena where I will sign my first JENNA books. I was a little worried that the books might not be done in time, in which case I would have been signing navels I guess. But they're here! Whew! Navels can be tricky.

I will be posting more of my tour schedule soon, but if any of you will be at the SCIBA banquet, I can't wait to see you!

Jenna Fox coffee, anyone?

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:13:44 GMT

Just kidding : )

But it's amazing how many blue butterflies I notice now. I saw this humongus bag of coffee beans at Costco last week and I couldn't resist. I showed it to my daughter when I got home and said, "Look, they're making Jenna Fox coffee!" You should have seen her eyes bug out. Bad mom. Bad. It's actually pretty good coffee. Sort of like a dark French roast.

You know there really isn't a lot of merchandising with YA books--no cute teddy bears to sell along with the books--but I was thinking of things that you could sell along with them . . .

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks - A GPS Navigation System with a Bassett Hound logo. It might have come in handy for Frankie.

The Absolute True Diary of a Part Time Indian - Salmon mush. Yum.

Repossessed - Ketchup Packets with cute little horns.

What about your book? Or others?

Friday Four . . .

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:13:47 GMT

1) I noticed yesterday on sarazarr’s blog that her awesome book Sweethearts is a Kindle book. I watched the video on these books and especially took note that the screens can be viewed out in the sun. WHEN will they make laptops that can do the same? Summer is coming and I want to work outdoors.

2) I had a dream last night. I rarely dream and if I do, I rarely remember them. But this one was a doozy. It was me and Meg Cabot. Meg and I were left alone in the Henry Holt offices to keep an eye on things while all the editors were out. Yes, we were publisher sitters. And we got a little silly like teens left alone for the weekend. And Meg had some fabulous taffy she shared with me. And then we totally forgot we were supposed to be publisher sitting (sorry, Kate) and we took off on a sailboat that just happened to be downstairs. In New York. I’ve never met Meg Cabot, but if I do, I already know she is a heck of a lot of fun.

3) In book news, JENNA got a BBYA nom : ). And I had two interviews, one in PW Children’s Bookshelf, and another at Teen Book Review. Thanks Sue and Jocelyn!

4) And last but not least, I cut into your normally scheduled program for a Public Service Announcment. It's that time of year for me–I had my annual mammogram yesterday. So I am taking the time to remind all of you to make your appointments. Do I need to name names? I have always been pretty good about remembering these appointments, but a few years ago I became religious about it. My friend Kathy, had a routine mammogram and they discovered a tiny lump that she wouldn't have been able to feel for months. That early detection made a HUGE difference in her treatment and recovery. So, girlfriends, what are you waiting for? Go make your appointment.
And if you are a guy reading this, nudge the women in your life. Trust me, there is no better way to say, "I love you."

Hurray, the weekend is here. Have a fabulous one!