mary e. pearson

of November. I know you didn't want to hear that, but there you have it. Somewhere in the year there must be a month that crawls by, don't you think? Maybe February? That must be it. That's why they only gave it 28 days, to help it along. But not November, that's for sure. It's a zipper.

I think having a conference backed right up to Thanksgiving helps make it a whirlwind. I had a great time at ALAN. It was my first time to Philadelphia, and I used that to my advantage to get my stomach stretched out for Thanksgiving. I am a true multi-tasker. Yep, Philly cheesesteak sandwiches (I had no idea that they were a foot long!) warm soft pretzels, Amish Horseradish Cheddar Cheese, and the dinner my publisher hosted had food that never stopped. Dish after delicious dish served family style which was fun, and even though we all moaned we couldn't eat anymore, we still managed to.

My husband came to Philly with me because he had some work there too and when we had free time you can see we frequented more food stops. This is the Amish store at the Reading Terminal Market where they sold various cheeses and snacks. They also had a fudge store, pretzel store, and several more. The Amish may go without a lot of the creature comforts, but food isn't one of them!


Of course, when I wasn't eating, I was enjoying the conference. I finally met joknowles ! I felt like I already knew her, but it was great to finally meet in person. And I saw a bunch of other LJer's there--too many to name them all. And I really enjoyed listening to the speakers. From gutsy girls, to censorship, teens growing up with war--the topics were varied, important, and enlightening. Jeanette Walls, author of the memoir The Glass Castle, shared how a teacher had made a difference in her life, accepting her as she was, unbathed because she had no indoor plumbling. She said that even if a student doesn't acknowledge a kind word or action, it makes it no less powerful as, "The ones who need to hear it the most, are the ones who can thank you the least." It was inspiring to hear her share how her life was impacted by books and teachers.

My panel with my editor, Kate Farrell and four other author/editors pairs, Sara Zarr and Jennifer Hunt, Rebecca Stead and Wendy Lamb, Elizabeth Scott and Jennifer Klonsky, and Tim Wynne-Jones and Liz Bicknell was fun. We all had so many different styles and relationships with our editors. It goes to show you there are so many different ways to hatch a book. Kate and I talked about the ups and downs of choosing a title for The Miles Between (original title that we loved but didn't fly: The Baboon Heart of Destiny) Many thanks to Angela Johnson of Wright State University for moderating our panel.

~~~Turkey toss
So we get home the day before Thanksgiving. Yikes. (At least my stomach was well-stretched and ready for it.) My daughter Jessica made the turkey--her first. It was a very small Thanksgiving for us this year so it was a good time for her to attempt this. And it came out beautifully. I'm passing the baton, Jessica, ya hear? Wait, don't run away . . .

~~~ Kirkus!
I also came home to learn that The Miles Between made the Kirkus Best Young Adult Books of 2009 list! Cheers to the other LJer's who are on the list: melissawyatt , halseanderson , thunderchikin , sarazarr , and Kerry Madden.

~~~iphone
I didn't participate in Black Friday, but I did have a sort of black Saturday. I can blame my editor. While we were at ALAN she was showing me her iphone and told me I had to get one. Yes, had. And I always listen to my editor. Or maybe it was that my phone is old and needed a new battery so I went ahead and took the plunge. Now I am trying to get up to speed with it. If you have an iphone, is there an app that you love? As you can see, I am easily influenced so if you say I HAVE to get it, I likely will.

~~~ Warning--Another Proud Mama Alert:
As I have often mentioned, I am not a good numbers person. I just didn't get that gene. So years ago when my mother tried to teach me to crochet I could never keep track of my stitches and I failed dismally. But sometimes I suppose genes skip generations, because my mom also taught my daughter Karen to crochet, and she is a dream at it. She makes beautiful scarves and now she is selling them online at Stradabella. My mom would be so proud, though she probably wouldn't get the whole "organic" thing. But I do. Go, Karen!

There, I think I am pretty much caught up for now.

Bring on December. I think.

On Sunday I met my daughter for lunch, and Karen being Karen, she told me I hadn't blogged in a long time. I knew it has been a little while but . . .



wow, where did the month go? We are more than halfway through November! Well, I have been a tad busy. Just in the month of November, there have been birthdays, baby showers (Hooray, another baby in the family!), unexpected dental appointments (oh, joy), a few foggy Benedryl days due to allergies, and the very sad passing of two dear friend's dogs.

And workwise I have been busier than ever. I am in the middle of trying to do a major overhaul to my website--hopefully it will be done soon. I've also had a couple of interviews via my publisher to get done. Oh! And I was interviewed for the Winter Blog Blast tour over at Miss Erin's and talked a little about the writing process including the joys of working in PJs. You can check out the whole schedule over at Chasing Ray.

I was also very busy preparing for a writing workshop I gave on polishing manuscripts last weekend. Sarah, one of the participants blogged a bit about it here. It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun too. Those who came were well-prepared which really made a difference.

And now I am busy getting ready to go to ALAN in Philadelphia where I am on a panel with my editor talking about how we work together. A lot of other LJ'ers are going to be at ALAN too, sarazarr , joknowles , thunderchikin , professornana , pambachorz , and elockhar I am sure there are more I missed? I hope I get go to all of their panels.

I am going to try to Tweet from Philadelphia--pics of panels and such--so check in at my twitter too, for news from ALAN. And since I get home the day before Thanksgiving, I will be doing my Thanksgiving shopping this week. Turkeys and stuffing, here I come. (Flu, please stay away from me on the plane.)

Oh, and somewhere in all of this, I have been working on my manuscript too. Of course, my nudging daughter knows this because she has been asking for installments, which I am nearly out of at this point so I really want to buckle down when I return from ALAN and just write. What a thought.

If I don't get a chance to check in before then, I hope you all have a wonderful (and healthy) Thanksgiving holiday.

Mission Viejo Readers Festival
Saturday September 12


Ack--I know this is late notice if you live in, say New Jersey, but if you are in the Orange County area come by Mission Viejo's Reader's Festival tomorrow.  I will be on a panel, Teens and the Other Side of Reality,  with YA Authors, Alyson Noel, Jennifer Kogler, and Marlene Perez, aka marperez. Our panel is from 2:30-3:30 in the Jacaranda Room.  Details and directions are here.

And hey, the Bronze Fonz--oh, I mean, Henry Winkler will be there too.  Lisa, you have to come.  Wisconsin isn't that far.

It has been a crazy busy day here with at least a zillion things I have been trying to get out--I still haven't had breakfast or lunch--but I wanted to get this up because I hope we will see you there.

Food.  Food.  I think it is time . . .

Our own sarazarr kicks off a new series of interviews over at Bitch Magazine. Check it out!

Cara Haycak's new novel, Living on Impulse comes out tomorrow and I had the opportunity to interview her over at the YA Authors Cafe.  Stop by and say hi to Cara.   Also, check out a review of Living on Impulse over at A Chair, A Fireplace, & A Tea Cozy.

Libba Bray has a trailer for Going Bovine that will make you snort coffee out your nose.  You have been warned.

And speaking of fun trailers, kmessner has a cool one that asks the question, which tree are you? to celebrate her forthcoming The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z.

Jen Robinson has information about the Kidlitosphere Conference for book bloggers and why, if you are a book blogger, this is THE conference to go to.

And finally coming to a town near you is the Smart Chicks Kick It tour with a gaggle of YA authors.  I will be at least one of the stops but I don't know which ones yet.  More info soon.  Check it out and weigh in with your choice for a city!

Oh, and really, who cares if Michelle Obama is wearing shorts?  It is summer for crying out loud.

Now, back to work . . .

I'm getting a slow start to Monday.  I am usually a pretty early riser but I slept in a bit this morning. Yesterday I went on a beautiful five-mile hike along the beach and at Torrey Pines State Reserve.  It pretty much wiped me out--not so much because of the distance but because of the incredible humidity.  We don't have a lot of that in California, but with the monsoons stirring up from Mexico, we've been getting our share lately. The first part of the hike is through the hills and towering cliffs next to the beach, and the last part is along the sand and shoreline.  The flat part along the shore is the reward after hiking up that endless hill. 

But we took a different route than we usually take and finally, to get back to our car, had to traverse a shallow inlet or backtrack to get up on the trail.  Tall hubby said, lets traverse.  Short me was dubious.  He went first and only got wet up to the tops of his knees.  Even still, I knew that didn't bode well for me being a whole foot shorter, but I crossed anyway, holding my shoes over my head so they wouldn't get wet, and sure enough I was soaked up to my waist.  So much for "shallow" but the water was very warm so I didn't really mind.

Other busyness this weekend:

marperez 's newest book, The Comeback, came out this past weekend.  I LOVE the cover of that book, and the inside is just as fun.  I really enjoy characters that you love and want to slap at the same time.  Sophie is that and more, and as always, Marlene's wit shines.  Congratulations, Marlene!

More news . . .
My editor's assistant is always sending me these lovely suprises in the mail--foreign editions, catalogs, cover flats--and this past weekend she sent me this:



A few copies of the REAL thing!

This is my fifth book and I have to say it is still a hurry-and-rip-open-that-envelope thrill.  And it really did turn out lovely.  The first thing I did was run my hands over the title. You can't see it here but it is raised type.  Very cool.  It's the little things in life, right?  And then I pulled off the dust jacket--yes the surprise was there!  Another cool moment.  Even cooler than wading in the ocean up to my waist--with clothes on!

Hope you all had a good weekend too.

I finally dug out the specifics for my panel at Comic Con.  Here they are:

FRIDAY, 12:30-1:30
Future Fond Memories— Narnia, Oz, Neverland—we all have our favorite memories of stories from our youth. How do today's authors create works that will be beloved by tomorrow's adults? Young adult authors Michael Spradlin (Keeper of the Grail: The Youngest Templar), Michael Reisman (Simon Bloom: The Octopus Effect), Sara Rees Brennan (The Demon's Lexicon), James Owen (The Indigo King), Mary Pearson (The Adoration Of Jenna Fox), P. J. Haarsma (The Softwire: Wormhole Pirates on Orbis 3), and Alyson Noel (Blue Moon: The Immortals) discuss their process and passion. Moderator: Maryelizabeth Hart, Mysterious Galaxy.  Room 3

We all will sign immediately afterward from 1:30 to 2:30 in the Autographing Area.

And on Saturday at 3 pm, our own marperez  / Dead is So Last Year, will be speaking on a panel in Room 2, along with some other awesome authors, so stop by and see her too.

I hope I see you there!

~ Thank you brilliant ones all for your replies to my last post about magical realism. I got a lot of wonderful suggestions.

~ As I mentioned a few days ago, I am going to be at Comic Con this Friday. I will be presenting on a panel with several amazing authors: Michael Spradlin, Michael Reisman, Sarah Rees Brennan, James Owen, aka coppervale, P.J. Haarsma, and Alyson Noel. Lucky me, I probably won't need to open my mouth once--I can listen to them!  But what to wear. what to wear . . . I have never been to Comic Con, but since it is held in San Diego it is always covered on the news here, and it is madhouse. A billion people at least attend this conference and they are all dressed in very wacked out crazy um, interesting attire.   It is very tempting to get into the spirit of things.  Oh the possibilities . . .  Bright blue contact lenses so that my eyes glow?  Blue face paint?

~ Look what came in the mail! Anyone out there speak Dutch?


The House of Books is publishing the Dutch version of The Adoration of Jenna Fox. They did a beautiful job--plus French flaps, and the sparrow and butterfly details on the cover are shiny. I am like a fish when it comes to shiny things. They are also publishing the Dutch version of The Miles Between.  I can't wait to see what they do with that.

~ In other foreign news, I just got the draft cover for the UK version (April 2010)and was told that more shiny detail will be involved. The fish in me rejoiced. I also learned yesterday that JENNA has sold Spanish (as in Spain Spanish) and Catalan rights.  It had already sold Spanish/Latin America rights a while back, and while I know there are a lot of different dialects of Spanish I hadn't thought about it being published in another kind of Spanish.  This got me to wondering about Latin, the foundation of so much language.  Is there such thing as Latin rights?  Isn't that the official language of the Vatican?  Surely the Pope must want to read some YA, right?

~  Anyone hear about George Orwell's book, 1984, being zapped clean by Amazon from their customer's Kindles?  Not a proud day for Amazon or Kindle.  I like that Amazon is trying to prevent bootleg copies--that part is good--but you can't break into someone's house to retrieve contraband. 

~ Off to seach my closet for  wacked out crazy   interesting blue clothing . . .  

Better yet--I will go search my daughter's closet.

An interesting discussion of ARCS at A Chair, A Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy.  I've visited several book clubs this past year, where guests show up with ARCS they ordered on Amazon and they had no idea when they were purchasing them that they  were not the finished books.  I think when you are in the book world you assume that everyone knows what an ARC is, but the vast majority of people do not. 

An interview with Alex Flinn about her new book A Kiss in Time is over at the YA Authors Cafe.  I love the cover.  There is something mesmerizing about all that emerald green satin.

Kelly Herold has a new blog, Crossover, about books that cross age boundaries, in particular YA books that appeal to adults and adult books that appeal to teens. 

Over at d_michiko_f she has an interview with Jeanine Garsee and a chance to win a free signed copy of Jeanine's new book, Say the Word.  Get on over there!

Even as we speak,  Jeannie Stith is recording the audiobook for Brilliance Audio for The Miles Between.  I had the chance to hear a voice clip and she sounds like the perfect Destiny.  I can't wait to hear it.  Wish I was a mouse in the studio.

oh!  And the "wallpaper" I mentioned yesterday.  Wish I could include the tropical breeze too.

Getting a few things ready to take off tomorrow for Stockton, California, where I will be participating in their  Stockton Reads!  program--part of national program, The Big Read. 

Their community book is Fahrenheit 451.  I read this in high school and was in awe of Ray Bradbury and his writing.  Years later as an adult and would be writer, I was in awe of him again when I read Zen and the Art of Writing.  Lots of inspiration.  But then years later, I was in awe of Ray Bradbury again, the very nice and real man.  

My family was in Park City, Utah and our paths happened to cross his outside of a hotel.  I pointed him out to my girls and told them who he was.  They were thrilled. A real author!  And a famous one!  They wanted a picture with him.  I was a little nervous to ask, so I approached him very quietly and said, "Are you Ray Bradbury?'  (just in case he was a look-a-alike ; )  He said yes, and I asked him if he would mind if my girls took a picture with him.  Oh, the nerve!  But he was more than gracious.  He put his arms around my girls, smiling and asking them questions and said he would be happy to be their "honorary grandfather" for the weekend.  I snapped a shot of them all grinning, and that day I not only admired Ray Bradbury the great author, but Ray Bradbury the man, filled with warmth all the way down to his bones.



So yeah, I am especially happy to be included in this event and that my book is even remotely mentioned in the same breath with this wonderful writer and man.

I will be speaking at two high schools in Stockton and also at the Chavez Library on Thursday at 5:00.  Will post pics as soon as I can.  I may even experiment with Twitpics on Twitter.  Ah, I guess that means I better experiment today since I leave tomorrow.  So if you see some odd pics on twitter ( @marypearson ) it is me trying to figure it out.  

In other news, check out an interview at the YA Authors Cafe with Carol Lynch Williams about her new novel, The Chosen One! 

And for your revising and editing chuckle of the day, this video is a must.

Love it.

It is amazing how everything comes in spurts--especially if you go away for a few days.  Hunter develped a hot spot on his forehead (allergies--he always gets them in spring) and I have been cleaning and spraying and keeping a close eye on it.  One year it spread like wildfire and he had to have the top of his head shaved.  Poor guy--he looked like the bald bear in the movie The Great Outdoors with John Candy.  He was quite a sight.

 But among the "hot spots" and piles waiting for me when I got home this weekend were some nice surprise too. I received the Golden Kite Honor Award plaque for The Adoration of Jenna Fox in the mail!   It will be a while before I can hang it, but that kind of clutter I don't mind.



I also had a new review of THE MILES BETWEEN over at The Well Read Child, that had me floating.  Snorting, crying, and laughing--you can't make an author any happier than that.

There was also a newspaper article waiting for me.  A reporter from the San Diego Union Tribune had come to my house a couple of weeks ago because he was doing a story on the San Diego Children's Book Festival and he wanted to interview one of the authors who would be there.  No, that is not my livingroom in the picture.  I met with a photgrapher down at our local coffee house, La Costa Coffee and Roasting, where I sometimes write and of course, drink coffee.  Coffee seems to be an ongoing theme in my day today.

maryrobinette said I should post a picture of the dress I wore to the Nortons, but I didn't have any full length pics, but I thought I would post the purse I took.  I think it is the first time I ever used it, because, well, it doesn't really go with the jeans I usually wear.  It was given to me by a friend as a thank you gift after I went and talked to her women's book club ("really, Nona, it was so unneccessary . . ."  But yes!  I'm glad she did!)



and here is some of the detail:



Cool, huh?  I may just have to start using it with jeans anyway, because I don't go to snazzy events that often.

And last but certainly not least, on Monday my friend melissawyatt birthed her second book, Funny How Things Change.  Yes, she is my friend, but yes, it is truly an awesome, amazing, and hot book.  Hop on over and spray her with confetti.  She deserves it.

 This winter and spring are bringing some books to the "neighborhood" that I'm really looking forward to.  Books like:

melissawyatt 's FUNNY HOW THINGS CHANGE 

marperez 's DEAD  IS  A  STATE  OF  MIND

and  thunderchikin 's SOUL ENCHILADA 

and also,cynthialeitich 's ETERNAL 


edited to add: 


ah, what a second cup of coffee will do.  Here are more on my watch list:

 alixwrites  's A KISS IN TIME

and   halseanderson  's  WINTERGIRLS


Any other winter/spring books that I should be on the watch for?

2008 was a year of many miles and milestones for me. I think I traveled more in '08 than in any other year of my life. My awesome publisher sent me to many places to meet with readers, bookstore owners, teachers, librarians, and more. In the process I got to meet, for the first time, so many people including a whole lot of LJer's like, beckylevineliteraticatseaheidicdaisymkbaccelliajillsbooksjmprincejensbookpagesusanwritescoppervalecoebooththunderchikinand professornana

I also got to see some LJ friends I already knew like, cynthialord d_michiko_f mountainmist lisayeelsparkreader marperez notjazz traciezimmer davidlubar zeisgeist tanyaleestone lizzb bgliterary and halseanderson

And there were a couple of near misses with cfaughnanand christine444--maybe in 2009!

I am sure I missed a few LJ'ers in my list and of course there were a zillion other people I met too. It was a wonderful year of making new friends and seeing a lot of old ones.

As 2008 came to a close, there were several people who were so kind as to include The Adoration of Jenna Fox on their 2008 favorites list. I've been sick the past few days--2009 brought me a not so lovely cold--so I know I have missed several lists, but many thanks to these who remembered and listed AJF among their faves:

Kirkus Best Young Adult Books of 2008
School Library Journal's Best Books of 2008
Cynsational Books of 2008
Bildungsroman Best Books of 2008
Not Your Mother's FAVES of 2008
A Patchwork of Books Favorites of 2008
Nassau Boces Best Books of 2008
BookAdvice.net Favorite Reads of 2008
Tamora Pierce Favorite Books 2008

And my thanks to the lists I may have missed too. I am truly very grateful to those who read JENNA FOX and shared their thoughts with me or others. Thank you.

This is the time of year for setting goals and making resolutions. As soon as my head clears (and my nose stops running like a river) I plan to make a few of my own. I rarely get sick, so I am thinking I am getting it out of the way first thing in 2009 and I can get down to the business of reading and writing for the rest of the year.

Happy 2009 everyone!

Back from San Antonio!  And I have to say I LOVE that city!  The weather is not unlike San Diego where I am from.  In one day you can go from brrrrrr weather to warm and balmy.   We had both while we were there.  The Riverwalk is incredible.  More like canals really, that meander just below street level and have gorgeous landscaping and tons of restaurants and shops alongside of it.


But if you walk far enough out, the busyness disappears.  Hubby and I went for a long walk far beyond the restaurants and hotels and enjoyed the quiet and beauty of it all. 



Oh!  And then there are the restaurants.  Being from San Diego, we have pretty high expectations for our salsa and Mexican food.  When we travel we simply don't order it because it never measures up.  Not in San Antonio!  Wow!  Salsa, tableside guacomole, and Prickly Pear Margarita's at Boudro's on the Riverwalk  were so good we went there twice.  Oh, but all those chips . . . good thing we did a lot of walking while we were there.



And then of course, there was the conference! (I really didn't just eat and walk the whole time!)

On Friday I spoke on a panel with the awesome and funny, Susan Beth Pfeffer, about the realities of survival.  We had a nice crowd who asked a lot of great questions afterwards.  My own talk had been about the relationships of all kinds that sustain us in our lives and make life worth living. Later, throughout the rest of the conference, I had teachers come up to me and share their thoughts about it all.  It was nice to make that connection and share on a personal level.

After the panel I signed at the Holt booth.  Just before I left for the conference I had learned that The Adoration of Jenna Fox had made both the Lone Star and the Tayshas reading lists and several Texas teachers came through my line who were excited about that.  Well, partner, me too!  Excited and honored.

On Sunday, the NCTE baton was passed to ALAN with the kickoff cocktail party.  They gave the authors these cool red Author! Author! badges to wear.  Nancy Werlin and I met up and I got to give her a big congratulatory hug on her recent wedding.  Congrats again, Nancy!


Now fast forward through a lot more food, talking with teachers, librarians, meeting other authors, and catching up with the ones I know, and oh yes, walking, (I tell ya, the walking saved me after all the food I ate, but my stomach is definitely primed for Thanksgiving) and finally we arrive at Monday where the panels begin!

I love listening to these!

Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the panel on Positive Portrayals of Sex in YA Lit, but the panelists, Tanya Lee Stone, Lara Zeises, Laura Ruby, and David Levithan had a lot of great things to say.  There were times I just wanted to jump into the fray!  My feeling is that as authors, we have stories to tell.  Real and true ones that are honest.  Not stories about how we would like the world to be or how we feel we should mold it, but the story that is true to that particular character.  That's it.  It is that simple.  We are not there to teach or guide anyone.  Just to share one character whose life may, or may not be like the one we know.   If I start feeling like I am writing a guidebook for teens for how they should or shouldn't live their life--sheesh--talk about writer's block, but I digress. That is for another post.  Back to the conference . . .

Many, many more great panels.  I managed to snap a shot of this one with Cynthia Leitich Smith, Melissa Marr, and Rick Riordan, who talked about the mixed myths of urban fantasy.  Meliisa Marr talked about how, according to her mother and grandmother, knowledge came at 40.  Well, shoot, I missed that boat, didn't I?


And finally, at the end of the day, my panel came.  God bless those teachers for hanging in there!  I was on a panel with Amy Kathleen Ryan, whose debut book, Vibes, just came out this fall, and with PJ Haarsma who writes The Softwire Series.   We talked about Slipstream fiction, which, before I was assigned this topic, had no clue what it was.  I learned it was the "fiction of strangeness."  This definition actually fits my next book even better than JENNA.  But as I said in my talk, I wonder why *I* was chosen for the "strange" topic.  hmm . . .


After our panel, I signed with the other authors in the back of the room while David Lubar entertained the crowd with his, "A Few Too Many Minutes with David Lubar."  I couldn't catch most of his talk because I was so busy signing and the acoustics in the corner were bad, but I could sure hear the audience laughing!  Maybe if we are lucky he will post it.

And last but not least, our own David Gill aka thunderchikin did an outstanding job of running the whole show.  Throughout the day we could see him in the back of the room making sure all the panels ran on time.  Well done, David!  And next year, I expect to see YOU on a panel for the fiction of strangeness!  Soul Enchilada definitely fits the bill!

Cheers all!  And Happy Thanksgiving!

Cheers to all the National Book Award finalists!  

I have to admit I gave a special squeeeee when I saw fellow LJ'erselockhart  and halseanderson  on the NBA list.  Both are women I personally know and greatly admire.  And of course, they are awesome writers too!  Hooray!

Happy Teen Read week!

Yes, I know I am a little late, but I have been busy celebrating teen reading with teen book clubs in the area.  Very fun.  And very encouraging to see so many teens who love reading and books.  On Monday I visited Bonita, and yesterday, Poway--both with big, BUSY libraries.

And while you are celebrating Teen Read Week, hop on over to the YA AUTHORS CAFE where YA authors, Kimberly Pauley, Annette Curtis Klause, Cynthia Leitich Smith, Kristopher Reisz, A.M. Jenkins, and Marlene Perez, will be yakking up Books with Bite!  Chime in with your own responses to the 13 Questions!

And speaking of books with bite--ones that hang on and don't let go--I want you all to know you are in for a treat when David Gill's (thunderchikin ) SOUL ENCHILADA comes out next year.  It has, hands down, one of the most unique premises, setting, and voices I have heard in a long time!  You are going to love it.  I did.

Today I am staying close to home and taking care of taxes.  That's right.  We are without doubt, the last people in the entire country to file our taxes.  And you can be sure that hubby will cut it close so we are racing to the post office and five to five.  Small thrills, right?  Hubby is a CPA and you know what they say about the cobbler's children . . .

ugh, now to go face all those numbers.  I am not a numbers person, but sometimes you have to bite the bullet.  Back to books tomorrow!

Back from San Francisco. I had a GREAT time. The schools were awesome. First stop was Capuchino High School. Librarian, Linda Henry, has an amazing book club there--around 70 students! I was WAY impressed. We're talking about 70 high schoolers in a high school that isn't that big, finding extra time for reading and books. And they were really excited about them too. They shared with me all the books they were reading and planning to read. They had TBR piles as high as mine! It was all very cool and energizing.


While I gave a talk, the president of the book club handled the techy power point stuff for me (thanks, Alex!) and then we had a long Q&A. It seems that part always gets cut short because of time and it is my favorite part of visiting schools. I love hearing what readers focus in on in stories. Everyone's perspective is so different.

Then I signed books! And I had a little surprise . . .


Some authors I knew were there! Sort of. See that spiral notebook just above my book? It was an autograph book that this student brought along for another student who couldn't make it. I briefly skimmed it and saw Jo Knowles (hi Jo!) and E. Lockhart (hi Emily!)--well, I saw their signatures at least--they were way more cool than mine. It was fun to "see" some friends there.

Thank you Linda and Capuchino High School book club for having me at your school!

Then it was off to Mountain View and the Girl's Middle School where librarian extraordinaire, Walter Mayes, presided.

Walter is a kick and he's great with the kids. And wow, what an intro he gave me--I wanted to just hand the floor over to him. But I didn't. The girls were terrific and so excited about books and reading. They have lots of authors who come to their school--sometimes one a week!--and that keeps the fires burning for sure. Their enthusiasm was contagious. Oh, and they were good sports when I got impatient with the computer and hit advance too many times (because I thought it wasn't working) and then the slides zipped by all at once. I can say that is officially the first time I did a song and dance in front of a group of students. (don't be so impatient, Mary!)


Anyway, I had a great time. Many thanks to Walter and Girl's Middle School!

Finally I was off to Books Inc in Palo Alto "home" of the famous literaticat . Thanks Jennifer and NYMBC!
The Palo Alto store is one of their newer locations--and dangerously close to an exquisite cupcake store. Luckily I was too stuffed from dinner to indulge. Next time. I was thrilled to see some LJ friends and authors at the signing! Thanks for coming d_michiko_f , seaheidi , beckylevine , and susanwrites and Cassie (her sweet dog who had to listen to me talk about books and writing! bah!) I got a picture with them and some new friends too, but one of the reasons we all have big smiles . . .


is that just before the picture above was taken, this one was taken . . .

Yep, originally Cassie and I were sitting together and just as the photo was taken she jumped up and laid a big one on me. I guess she liked my talk after all ; ) Yay, Cassie! I see a dog book in Cassie's future. Move over Carl . . .

1.
Stand up to cancer--tonight at 8pm--ALL THREE NETWORKS will be televising this benefit. Be a part of it. Make a difference. I'll "see" you there.

2. Happy Birthday Boys! The mongrels are five years old today. Bones for everyone!


3. I got a haircut. I love new haircuts. It's short--just to my shoulders. Well, that's short for me anyway.

4. Book Updates: A very nice review for the audio JENNA in the September/October issue of the Horn Book Magazine. I agree. I think Jenna Lamia, the reader, did an excellent job.
Other bookish news: My fall schedule is filling up fast. Lots of book club visits, then heading up to San Francisco for some school visits, and the Not Your Mother's Book Club (yay!), and more. Also, I will be the master of ceremonies for the SCIBA 2008 Authors Feast on October 18th, introducing authors, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dorothea Benton Frank, Brian Sanderson, and Loren Long. Should be a lot of fun. And right after that comes NCTE/ALAN . . . yes, somewhere in all of this, I will be writing my next book too . . .

Have a great weekend everyone--and don't forget tonight!

Since I have been shaken out of lurkdom--by the very earth itself no less!–I figured I would peek a little farther out of my hole.

I’ve been in Revisionland. My deadline is mid-August, and I have been going back and forth with emails and phone calls with my editor and I think we are nearly there. Whew.

Of course, in the midst of working on my road trip book, I took my very own road trip. I planned to work on the manuscript while on the road, but you know how that goes. I was seeing and doing too many things to remember, um, oh, that I had a book that was due? (Which explains current deep lurkdom)

My husband and I hit the road without a clue where we were going except for our first night where we stayed in Santa Ynez. Over the next couple of weeks when I get a chance I will post a picture here and there. I love California. Love every inch of it. And this trip sure made me proud of it.

Other updates . . .
While down under in Revisionland, I got the happy news that The Adoration of Jenna Fox has sold foreign rights to Latin America. So, olé! Jenna will be coming to you in Spanish!

Horn Book Magazine did a podcast of summer reads and it was fun to "hear" how the editors reacted to JENNA.

And last but not least, while I was at ALA, Ed Spicer of Spicy Reads filmed Nancy Werlin and I interviewing each other about our books. It was a very unreahearsed impromtu little interview (as will be quite apparent ) but it was fun. Our interview is right below

halseanderson 's which he did last year.

Check out his teen reviews while you're there. It's always inspiring to hear teen talk about books. 

Back to the last tweaks . . . (I hope)

 

 

 

I saw that the awesome Cynthia Leitich Smith is having a giveaway for her book Tantalize to celebrate the paperback which will hit stores July 22nd. 

But besides the paperback she is also giving away T-shirts. How fun to have Tshirts that fit with the theme of your book. I especially cracked up at this one, "Cell Phones Will Be Eaten" .  I'd like that one! Yes, I have a cell phone, but I try to use it discreetly, if you know what I mean. (As not yelling into it in public so the whole world is party to your one-way conversation.) 

But I digress. I think her book has so many tasty possibilities for quippy Tshirt sayings. I was trying to think what I would put on a JENNA Tshirt and came up blank. I just know I would make it blue.

Anyway, if you want a chance to win a free book and a cool Tshirt, get thee over to Cynsations .

Back to work.   And sheesh I have to clean this office . . .

Whew! What a whirlwind! Here's a quick breakdown of the long weekend!

Friday
Arrived! I stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. Gloved Mickey Mouse hands held the sconce lamps on either side of my bathroom mirror.I guess it's to be expected when you are at the magical kingdom. And the mouse ears on the shampoo bottles were pretty cute too.



Saturday

In the morning I had my signing for The Adoration of Jenna Fox. It was great to see so many LJ'ers! Thanks for coming! I also had a lot of YA book people come--bloggers, librarians, etc-- who I knew from online but finally got to meet.

That night I had dinner with a dozen other authors, with the Pope in the center of our table presiding over our antics intelligent bookish conversation. The guilty shall remain nameless.



Sunday

Sunday morning came bright and early. I participated in the YALSA speed dating breakfast. One of the librarians at my table videotaped the event and posted it on the YALSA blog, so if you want a taste of the breakfast, check it out. The table she recorded had Barry Lyga, moi, Nancy Werlin, Elizabeth Knox, Margarita Engle, Amy Goldman Koss, and Sherman Alexie.

That night was the Newbery-Caldecott banquet. The only word I can use to describe Brian Selznick's and Laura Amy Schlitz's speeches is SPECTACULAR. They will be posted online at some point--maybe they already are. Be sure to see them. After the banquet I had the pleasure of chatting with authors Linda Sue Park, John Green, and Schneider Family Book Award winner, Tracie Vaughn Zimmer, who was receiving the award at the conference. Congratulations, traciezimmer, Tracie!

Monday

I did a little last minute arc gathering at the exhibits, and then an impromtu interview with Ed Spicer. I think he will be posting it at his review site before too long. That is, if it makes any sense. Nancy Werlin and I "interviewed" each other, and by Monday we were both feeling a little giddy.

That night was the Printz reception where my friend, Amanda Jenkins, was receiving the Printz Honor Award for her book Repossessed. Her speech was magnificent, as were all of the award winners. Geraldine McAbercrombyandFitch unfortunately couldn't come to accept her Printz Award for The White Darkness, so her much more interesting "au pair" accepted the award for her. But her speech was magnificent too. Be sure to read them all.

Tuesday

Returned home loaded down with books and dead tired, but there was good news waiting that perked me up pretty fast. The Adoration of Jenna Fox sold foreign rights to two more countries--Japan and Finland! Very cool.

And now, I am busy catching up and eager to begin reading all these great books that are stacked up everywhere. Also eager to get back to writing. I have had a little hiatus and I am feeling the itch to face a blank page. Wonders never cease.