mary e. pearson

Lots of catch up today.

First and most important,  I want to bring to your attention that author and editor Deborah Halverson, is walking in the Susan G. Komen  Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk for the cure.  I've talked before about what a difference cancer research makes.  It will save the life of someone you love.  Please hop over to her site and support her.  Every little bit helps. 

And my gosh, you gotta love the name of her team, The More the Merrier Walkers for Knockers.

more news . . .

The Mission Viejo Reader Festival this past weekend was so much fun.  Alyson Noel has a picture on her blog and talks about how great the librarian, staff, and volunteers were.  I have to say, DITTO.  You would have thought they had done this a hundred times instead of it being their first festival ever.  Kudos to them all. One funny thing, knowing that Henry Winkler would be there, I took a copy of the picture of the Bronze Fonz that lisaalbert took for The Miles Between tour, thinking I might show it to him.  Because of my panel time, I didn't get the chance, but one of the awesome volunteers showed up and brought it back to me signed!  So funny.  Love it!




Film update for The Adoration of Jenna Fox:  I heard from my agent and they expect the screenplay to be finished by the end of the month.  Hooray!

I've been amazed at the response to my post What YA Lit is and isn't.  I guess a lot of us have run into these misconceptions.

For my cat loving friends, a pretty funny video.  Who says cats don't like water?  Thanks to my sis for this video.

Remember, Walkers for Knockers.  Every.  Little.  Bit.  Helps. 

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!

research NOW will make a difference in YOUR life in the very near future. And it will make a difference in the life of someone YOU know and love. It has for me many times over.
Please support Laurie Halse Anderson, aka halseanderson, as she runs to find a cure for cancer.

And like she says, no pledge is too small. Every little bit helps.

Thanks, Laurie, for running to find a cure.

All toys checked and accounted for. Actually, I never made it inside. The line to go in wrapped around the corner and I was a tad too cold to wait. This soldier turned line keeper was a good sport though, and posed with me through chattering teeth. Mine, not his.

Christmas in New York is wonderful though. We took in all the sights including the tree at Rockefeller Plaza. My hubby and I also went to see The Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall and Mamma Mia at the Winter Garden Theater.

I had a great lunch and meeting with my publisher about my upcoming book, The Adoration of Jenna Fox. Even though I had met most of them at various events, I had never been to their offices before so it was good to see where they work. Am I the only one who likes to picture where people are when I talk to them so I don't just imagine them floating in phone lines or cyber space? Oh good, I knew there were a few of you like me out there. I told them they would all have to come to my house now so they could picture where I was too. That would be interesting. I'd have to get out of my sweats and T, wouldn't I? Maybe not. Around about February when the cold has settled into the marrow, I may hear a few knocks on my door. But they better come in their sweats.

Oh! And I returned home to learn that I had won the bid for a snowflake illustrated by Joy Allen for the Robert's Snow Auction that I mentioned in my last post!

I fell in love with the snowflake, not just for the beautiful illustration but also the title and description: Within Reach This young tyke spends a snowy afternoon trying to find the perfect flake, proving that nothing—not even cures for cancer—is out of reach.



That's how I feel. We are so close. Within reach. And events like Robert's Snow bring us so much closer. I am very grateful to all the illustrators like Joy Allen who donated their time and efforts to bring us within reach.

It really does.

Research makes a huge difference. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society says on their website: "The commitment to cutting-edge science has contributed to an unprecedented rise in survival rates for some blood cancers. The relative five-year survival rate for people with leukemia, for example, has tripled in the past 40 years."

The survival rate for other many other types of cancer has risen too. What made the difference?

Research.

But there is still so much more to do. Let's make this disease a distant memory for our children and grandchildren. I hope you will join so many others in supporting Robert's Snow Auction

The money raised will go for research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute which is committed to finding a cure for cancer.

I've seen the results of what a difference research can make. Both of my daughters were diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, my youngest in 2000, and my older daughter in 2006. Both are now cancer free and yet just fifty years ago, they both would have died of this disease. Research is what made the difference. And Dana Farber is doing loads of it.

Let's support them in whatever way we can!

Yesterday I stopped by the grocery store, and all of the clerks were wearing pink in honor of
Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I have to say, I was especially impressed with one particular clerk. He was large man who probably weighed at least 275, and god bless him, he had on a pink shirt too. Finding a pink shirt for a man isn't easy, much less a large one like that. I bet his wife has done her monthly breast exam.

Speaking of which, this is a good time to remind everyone. Check your breasts. Today. Or ask your wife, sister, girlfriend, neighbor, mother, or daughter, when they last did a Breast Self Exam (BSE).

Sadly, I've known two beautiful women who have died of breast cancer. But breast cancer awareness is changing how soon we detect breast cancer, and early detection makes such a difference. One of my dearest friends is a breast cancer survivor because of early detection. Her cancer was caught very early due to her yearly mammogram. She is healthy today and walking in the Susand G. Komen 3 Day Walk next month. She will be walking 60 miles! Her team has raised nearly $70,000 for breast cancer research, and what a difference that makes.

Now what are you going to do? (BSE, tell a friend)

I am going to go remind my sister right now . . .

Thank you for all your good wishes and prayers yesterday. And yes, Melissa, when Karen smiles it is with her whole face--and heart. She lights up a room.

One thing I forgot to mention yesterday is that both my girls are participating in a study at Harvard's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for sibilings or multiple family members with lymphoma. It is not that common so if you should know of anyone who fits this description, you may want to tell them about it.

And now, it's time for a chuckle (or a moan, depending on how you look at it.) Check this out. Be sure your sound is up! I am embarrassed to say that I have probably publicly done all of these at one time or another. (thanks to Karen and Jessica!)

Yes, even the lawn mower. C'mon, admit it, you have too.

Last Friday while I was sitting in a doctor’s office with my daughter, Karen, she said, “Hey Mom, I noticed you haven’t updated your blog in a long time. How come?”
Ah, the little snit. She knows why. But that’s Karen. No detail ever gets past her–and she let’s you know it. Even on the phone, she can read me like a book. I can’t get a single secret to fly under her radar. It’s infuriating! So I answer her question with a vague, “Been busy I guess.” And she gives me a knowing look. And then the nurse comes in about that time, and hooks Karen up with her next med, and I think I am off the hook.

Noooooo.

A few days later I get a follow-up call. (Yes, Karen does follow-up calls.) “Mom, you STILL haven’t updated your blog. For a “Live Journal” it isn’t very live is it?"

This is the daughter I have raised (but very proudly shaking my head)

So Miss Karen . . .



. . . before I get another “follow-up call” I am getting out of my slump, and becoming “live” once again.

So about here, I will back up a bit. A few months ago–January 19th to be exact–we found out that Karen had a tumor in her chest. You’d think having practice at this (my younger daughter was diagnosed with the same disease six years ago–on the exact same day actually, January 19th, but that coincidence will deserve its own post one of these days) anyway you’d think it would somehow be easier to accept. Not so! I really had major denial–this couldn’t happen again!–but it did. The good news is, Karen is a superstar (as is her husband, Ben. God, thank you for that man!) and her treatments are going really well. And she has had a lot of wonderful friends who have been so supportive too. Her friend, Sarah, is walking in her honor to raise money for the Lymphoma Research Foundation. Go, Sarah!

Next Friday is Karen’s last chemo, then 5 weeks of radiation, and she will be done. Party time. Yes, definitely major celebrating. (Have I mentioned how proud I am of her?)

So . . . in my totally sporadic checking in on the rest of the world (sheesh, I am behind in news!) I have found Dave Barry (no surprise, eh?) manages to somehow find the most bizarre news stories–life IS stranger than fiction–so if you need a good laugh, or just really need to scratch your head, his blog always supplies those opportunities. Laughter--and scratching--I have found, are good for the soul.

And in the writing world there is good news, according to Forbes Magazine we creative writers have Forever Jobs. It’s a nifty little slide show that shows we are right up there with morticians and prostitutes. Ah, job security.

(And speaking of writing–and to stave off another follow-up call--YES, Karen, I did write today, and I am almost done with my book. One chapter left and you and Ben will get first sneak peek. So there.)

Kids. Ya gotta love ’em.