mary e. pearson

At last!  And for two books!

The brand spanking new:



And also the paperback for:



Not sure how I should celebrate.  Maybe a day of indulgent reading is in order. Or . .  .

Yesterday when I posted the final ARC tour pictures in New York , in the comments newport2newport  suggested creating a playlist of car tunes to celebrate.  Her contribution was Baby You Can Drive My Car by The Beatles.  I added Fun, Fun, Fun, by The Beach Boys.  And I seem to remember that writerross suggested Thunder Road by Bruce Springsteen at the beginning of the tour.

If you have any other car songs to help me celebrate publication day, let's hear them!


      . . . Baby you can drive my car . . . Beep, beep, beep, beep, yeah . . .

~ 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.

I found this out about a month ago, but couldn't say anything until they announced it on their website, but now I just saw the news is up so I can spill! 

The Adoration of Jenna Fox has won the  Distinguished Work of Fiction Award  from the Children's Literature Council of Southern California.  Hooray!!

And fellow Henry Holt author, Hope Anita Smith, won the Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Poetry!  Hooray again!!

Check out the other award winners -  Cheers to all!

The last several days have been crazy busy (aren't they always?) but I've been meaning to get this picture up ever since my sister sent it to me. As some of you know, I have peacocks in my neighborhood, so pictures and sightings of them always catch my interest.

But none of them in my neighborhood strut around like this guy (yes, it is a guy--the injustice of nature) and I almost didn't think this was a photo when I saw it--it looked like a drawing:


I am not much of a photographer. For me it is point and shoot and hope I don't cut someone's head off, so photos like this blow me away. Just so you can see, here is another shot where you can tell more that it is a photo. She used a "high contrast" (?) filter which is why the color stands out so brilliantly.



Pretty cool, huh?  I think NBC needs to go back to their "living color" logo (does that date me? Yep.)

In other news, my publisher created a page at Facebook  for The Adoration of Jenna Fox (with the new cover!) so come on over and "friend" me and Jenna if you are Facebook inclined.

Oh!  And very soon I will have fun news to share for THE MILES BETWEEN.  Stay tuned.

1.  I got some shoes to wear to the Nebula Banquet next Saturday that are not only cute, but they are COMFORTABLE too.  Really.  I am not much of a shoe person.  My favorite attire on my feet is nothing.  But last year at ALA, Amanda Jenkins turned me on to a brand I hadn't tried yet, Sofft.  Problem was I couldn't find them in any stores around me so I took a chance and ordered some online. Yikes. But they fit perfectly and I loved them.  I figure I've hit my jackpot for the month.

2  Got the UK jacket rough for The Adoration of Jenna Fox in the mail.  Very cool.  It comes out in the UK next spring.  As soon as I have the final I will post it--it does involve a very blue eye.

3.  Feeling very poor after paying taxes on Wednesday, wondering if I should return above mentioned shoes.  But they are comfortable . . .

4.  In my last blog post I talked about book ownership and the impact it had on me, and it reminded me of the programs, Rolling Readers, and First Book, that are committed to getting books into the hands of young readers--books that they can keep.  I will never forget when Robert Condon, the parent of one of my students and also the founder of Rolling Readers, asked me if he could come read to students in my classroom every week.  Even with second grade I had a packed curriculum and hesitated, wondering how I would fit it in, and then of course, I slapped myself up the side of the head and told myself, what is more important than reading?  And how wonderful that my students would get another role model reading to them besides myself.  Mr. Condon came faithfully every week and read three picture books to my class each time.  They loved it.  At the end of the semester, he gave each student the hardcover picture book of their choice.  As long as I live I will never forget the look on one student's face as she received her book.   She hugged it to her chest, smiled so wide, and very nearly floated for the rest of the day.  She was from a poor immigrant family and I knew without a doubt it was the first book she had owned, but after that day, I knew it wouldn't be her last and I secretly chastised myself for even thinking for a moment that I didn't have time for Mr. Condon to visit my classroom each week.

I'm glad you all enjoyed the amazing picture yesterday as much as I did.  I did a little nosing around the web this morning and found out that this is the Blue Morpho Butterfly.  It's wings are five to eight inches across!  If you go to this site  you can see what the underside of its wings look like. Quite the transformation from that brilliant blue, no?

In book news . . .

The Miles Between is starting to be read!  (yikes!) Thank you professornana !

Also, apparently VOYA has released their Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Horror of 2008 list--33 titles altogether.  I was thrilled to see The Adoration of Jenna Fox on it! Yay!

Back to work . . .

I have been having such a great time over at Readergirlz this month.  Last week we had a live chat that was a whirlwind but so much fun too.  Lots of questions and conversations!  It was like going to a big family gathering where you haven't seen everyone in a long time, like Thanksgiving, and everyone is talking at once and you miss a conversation here or there because you are so busy talking. 

There were some really interesting, thought-provoking conversations spawned by the various questions that were asked.  I missed a few questions entirely and I hope to answer a few of them later in the week. Here is the chat log if you want to check out the craziness and fun.

Meanwhile, Little Willow posted a fun challenge:  Create your own version of the cover of The Adoration of Jenna Fox.  I love what she did!  And Paradox created an amazing cover that blew me away.  So I decided to take up the challenge, but I did it with my own twist.

This is the cover for The Adoration of Rex and Spot:




Hey d_michiko_f do you recognize that butterfly? 

I have a few other blue butterflies around here that I have collected--one that is all glitz and glitter, another that is beautiful aqua glass, and another that is beaded on a purse.  I wonder what versions those could be . . .

Things have been busier than ever.  But I have managed to squeeze in a couple of slow activities in the past week.  One was working out in the yard planting some flowers.  When this started to bloom last week . . . .



I knew I needed to get out there and get some planting done.  This is my homely little succulent I have posted pictures of before that has amazing little flowers that spring forth once a year.  Meanwhile, my neighbor (the same one who made me paella last week) is bringing me things like THIS from her garden . . .


Yes, she grows beautiful orchids while I nurture plants that look like rock creatures.  But then again, she doesn't have two furry eighty pound peeing machines in her backyard either.  See guilty parties here.  You will also get a glimpse of my polka dot lawn.

I did get some beautiful ranunculas planted in the front yard though.  Carlsbad is somewhat known for its gorgeous ranuncula flower fields, so if you don't know what they look like you can check them out here, and if you are passing through in the spring, definitely take some time to stroll through the fields.  There is also a spectacular ocean view from the hills so you get two inspiring views for the price of one.

In writing news . . .
I have been having a lot of fun over at the Readergirlz blog.  They have been posting various questions this week like, which  superman strength  do you wish you had?  Heck, I want them all!  Especially after reading some of the responses.

In more book news, I talked to my editor yesterday and she said the ARCS for The Miles Between had arrived!  And they looked great!   She was going to pop a few in the mail to me.  I can't wait to see them.

Also, I found out I am going to LA for the Nebula Awards  banquet!  Yay!  And yikes!  Now comes the requiste pondering of what do I wear?  I have never been to this before so I haven't a clue.  This is all taking place in LA on the same weekend as the LA Times Festival of Books, so I think I will be stopping in for a bit there too.  Will any of you be there--either for the Nebula conference or the LA Times festival?

Holy smokes, what a crazy jammed pack week it has been--from the really good to the really stinky.  I will start with the good, and maybe I will run out of time for the stinky.

First, I got a very nice email from one, two, three friends, and then darn, I finally googled myself to be sure they were right because I hadn't heard anything and I saw that The Adoration of Jenna Fox won a Golden Kite Honor from the SCBWI.  Hooray!  I found the info at Betsy's Bird's blog where you can see all the winners.  And then yes, I got the offiicial email announcment too.  Hooray, again!

And then my editor emailed say AJF had made the NYPL Stuff for the Teen Age 2009 list.  That's right, it is now called "stuff" for the teen age.  The list is a little different this year.  It is limited to 100 things ; )  I think most of those things are books but there are videos in there too, and maybe some other "stuff" too.  I am not sure, but I am thrilled to be among the stuff! (does this sound like a George Carlin routine?)

Other good stuff in my jam-packed week:  Online author chats with students in Texas, writing in a coffee shop with friends (hey blitzers!  it was fun!), lots of fun chat and questions over at readergirlz, and I'm still doing flips over being a Nebula finalist.

oh!  And FINISHING the review of the master proofs of THE MILES BETWEEN! Whew, I think I positively have that manuscript memorized now.  This is why authors don't read their books once they come out!  They don't need to.  After so many readings they are permanently etched in their brains.

still not out of time . . .  so the not-so-good stuff that jammed my week.  Car #1 broke down.  Bad, but it is still limping along--barely.  And out of sympathy of course, car #2 decided to follow suit--no limping, dead as a door nail--thank you very much.  Both cars--grrr. It always happens that way, doesn't it?  So my weekend is going to be juggling cars and hoping they can be repaired--quick!

But more good news, my very dear friend and neighbor across the street called and said she was making paella tonight and did we want to come?    Do fish swim?  Do birds fly?  Do carless people walk?  You betcha.  I am clicking my castanets already.

Have a great weekend all!

Can you believe it? 

But I've been looking forward to March for quite a while because the Readergirlz is letting me "hang" out with them for the month. I've been impressed with Readergirlz ever since they debuted two years ago and posted their Manifesta.

Go books!
Go strong girls!
Go readergirlz!

And they continue to impress me with things like  Operation Teen Book Drop (which is next month!)


  So I was really honored when they wanted to feature The Adoration of Jenna Fox for the month of March.  They have a million ways for readers to get to know books, authors, chat, and interact.  Well maybe not a million but close to it!

First their website with lots of info about The Adoration of Jenna Fox including some quick trivia like what my "dream book tour" would be.

Next, their Myspace Forums where readers can discuss the book and ask any questions they are curious about.

They also have a Readergirlz Blog  where they have posed the question "What are you self-conscious about?" Jenna was self-conscious about several things including the way she walked.   I remember when I was a teen . . .

You can also check in with the Readergirlz Divas at Facebook where they have more juicy things to discuss, like how far you would go to save someone YOU love?

Hope I see you there!

Wow.  I had an amazing book club visit this past weekend.  It pretty much blew me away.  My wonderful hostess,
Vicki,

 

really went out of her way to make it an unforgettable day.  Besides a copy of The Adoration of Jenna Fox  for each guest, there were also blue butterfly tattoos for everyone (that's what's hiding inside that little blue card) and also a little box of chocolates!  Oh yeah, she knows the way to my heart.


There were about 25 guests who were greeted with this:

And this: (see the butterfly?)


and of course this:
 A lunch prepared by a 5 star chef (her son!) that included Pesto Pasta, grilled chicken breasts, an amazing variety of grilled vegetables, and a fennel bulb salad.  (hm, she knows the second way to my heart too)  Our chef received well-deserved applause from everyone there.

And the guests!  They were wonderful too. 


After we ate I gave a little talk and then answered questions--they had some great ones.  And since everyone had read the book, we could talk freely.  I love that.  This is an adult book club who had never read a YA book for their club before, but I hope JENNA won't be their last.  I mentioned a couple of others that they should check out.  

So many thanks to Vicki (wow, again!) for the really fun day!

It's pub day! 

Can I be an honorary Aussie for a day and shout Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!

The absolutely awesome Allen & Unwin, who were a delight to work with, publish the Australian version of The Adoration of Jenna Fox today!


I love what they did with the cover.  And one of the very cool squee factor details is the spine:



I love the blue eye! Can you imagine if several were on a shelf and you see all these brilliant blue eyes looking out at you?

Now if I could just go to Australia one of these days and see it on a shelf there myself!  Well, I can dream.

And as long as I am indulging in squee . . .

The Adoration of Jenna Fox was named to the Amazing Audiobooks 2009 list!  This was my first audio book and I was thrilled that someone else loved the audio as much as I did.  You know, there is always that bias factor.

And speaking of audio, I guess I can finally announce that my newest book has sold audio rights at auction to Brillance Audio!  It is not like it was a secret.  It was announced on Publishers Marketplace back in December, but it was announced with my working title and not the final one.  So I wanted to wait to share the news until I had the real title, which is . . . drumroll . . . THE MILES BETWEEN.  It took a while to find just the right title for this book because it is, well . . . hard to nail down.  It is a combination of serious, quirky, and fun.  I think this title is perfect.

Last but not least, one reason I am even resurfacing is because, yes, I have somewhat tamed the wisps of this new work in progress--or at least made enough sense of them that they have now earned a "file name" on the computer  and I am off and running.  Well, maybe taking baby steps is a better description.  But sheesh, it feels so good to be working on something new.  Yay!

I just got done sending off an interview to a librarian where she asked me several questions, one of which what was the best part of being an author.  The abbreviated version of my answer to her was that the best part were the various responses I get to my writing from people I don't know.  And now, on Amazon is a new customer review that refers to The Adoration of Jenna Fox as one of the most twisted stories the reader has read.

I feel so completely middle-america-average sometimes, it really makes me smile to feel a little twisted ; ) 

December!  Can you believe it?

I am trying to catch up on an avalanche of mail and news and a desk dumped with "stuff" that I let go over the course of conferences and holidays and feeling like it is a hopeless cause.  I keep hoping the desk  pile will get up and walk away when I am not looking but it hasn't yet.  But I am the eternal optimist.

So taking a little break to share some good news that came last week.  School Library Journal came out with their Best Books of 2008  list and I was thrilled to see The Adoration of Jenna Fox on it.  I was also happy to see fellow LJer's tanyaleestone  and e_lockhart  on it.  Yay!

Now back to the desk pile . . .

Yep, still there.

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!

A little update from the 105th birthday party yesterday: 

She was as lovely as ever.  Gorgeous in a sparkly dress and darling bobbed haircut.  Her heels were a bit lower this time, but still heels nonetheless, and she was walking around and mingling with the guests like she was 50.  Pamela asked yesterday what her secret was--oh, that we could bottle it--but I would have to say part of it is good genes, and the other part is zest for life.  She never slows down.  A couple years ago she went on a 66 day cruise to Antartica.  And just recently went on one to Iceland and Greenland.  She loves travel and meeting people and being in the middle of a party.  A couple of years ago we took her out to dinner to a Western restaurant and she got up and did a two step with the waiters and waitresses.   Seriously.  She reminds me of that quote:

“Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, cigar in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming WOO HOO - What a ride!"

Except that she isn't worn out.  And I don't think she smokes cigars either.  But she sure can yell out, "what a ride!"

In other news, I have recently received quite a few paperback copies of  A Room on Lorelei Street



and I thought I would put them to good use, so if there is a high school librarian or teacher, or anyone else who has a high school age book club or reading group out there and would like a FREE set of 8-12 books, just email me at: maryp2000 AT aol.com.  I am saying high school age because AROLS is probably suited to a more mature audience.

And last but  not least, I will be at Barnes and Noble in Encinitas this Saturday from 2-4 for the La Costa Canyon High School Book Fair.  I will give a short talk and be signing books, so if you are in the area, come by!

Now off to practice my two-step--with martini and cigar in hand . . .

Thank you all for your input on publisher's programs for teens who want a chance to read and review advance copies.  Here's my compiled list of links:

The InGroup- Henry Holt Books for Young Readers

Pulse It - Simon and Schuster/Simon Says

First Look - HarperCollins

Hip Scouts- Little Brown & Co

If you come up with any more--let me know!

Off to La Mesa to visit with another teen book club!  The groups I have been meeting with have had some terrific questions and thoughts about The Adoration of Jenna Fox.  Their different viewpoints and insights are so fascinating for me to listen to.  Every individual reader brings something new to the story.

Go Teen Read Week!

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 . . .

Okay, I warned you that I don't take just the usual tourist pictures.  We were walking down the "Greek" street in Paris and saw this ad:


Some words just don't abbreviate well, or that is some gyro.

ahem.  In more bookish news, I leave this weekend for San Francisco and  the NCIBA trade show where I will be signing at 1:00 pm on Sunday, October 5th.  Books will be $1 and that money will go to the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression.  So come say hi to me, get a great bargain on a book, and support ABFFE all in one day.

On Monday, October 6 I will be visiting a high school and a middle school in the area and that night--drumroll please--will be at the NYMBC in Palo Alto!  7pm!

If you live in the Palo Alto area (and even if you don't!) please come by!  Keep me company!  Ask me questions!  I will ask YOU questions!  I will share my biogel with you!  Or at least a super ass. gyro.

See you there!  (pleeze?  Nothing sadder than a lonely author ; )