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Earlier this week I headed to the gorgeous Santa Monic Public Library . . .
  
My mission: to teach Point of View to teens. Here's the community room where Peepy and I team taught . . .
We were greeted by Librarians Extrodinaire Erica Cuyugan and Ann Wagner, who signed Peepy in . . .
 
The "Inspire Me! Teen Writers Workshop" was wonderful. These talented and smart and dedicated teens chose to spend the afternoon writing instead of soaking up the Southern California sun at the beach (just blocks away) . . .
    
(Okay, so some of these photos weren't taken at the library, and not everyone pictured is a teen.)
Of course, Peepy was there to give (unsolicited) advice and clever writing tips . . .
  
Applause!!! Applause, applause . . . look these talented teens . . .
Afterward, Peeps and I headed to the beach to tell everyone we knew about the Inspire Me! workshop . . .
. . . and to let then know that upcoming authors Robin Benway, plus Sonya Sones and Ron Koertge (below in their ABSOLUTELY MAYBE wigs alongside their significant others) will be teaching there soon . . .
 
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Besides the stretch limos and fabulous free jewels and lavish tropical vacations, there are some pretty cool benefits of being an author. (BTW, the first part of that last sentence hasn't happened yet, but I'm going to give it another couple weeks before I uncross my fingers.)
Recently, I was in Arkansas at Harding University where I met Debbie Archer and lots of other wonderful writers. Well, Debbie contacted me the other day with totally cool news. She named her dog after one of my characters!
In my YA novel ABSOLUTELY MAYBE, the main character's name is Maybelline (after her mother's favorite mascara). She has a habit of dying her hair wild colors with Kool-Aid and over 12,736ish readers have taken up her look . . .
  
However, Debbie's Maybelline doesn't need a pink wig to look like Maybellline, because she is her. Meet Maybelline, the pooch . . .
 
In the entire history of world literature this is the very first time a dog was named after someone in a book. Okay, that's not true. I mean, my own cousin's dog was named Snoopy. However, it's the first time someone's named a dog after a character from one of my books and told me about it!
In the More Cool Stuff Department: Katie, an 11th grade fan from Georgia . . .
. . . made an absolutely wonderful video of ABSOLUTELY MAYBE and totally nailed it. I love this sooooo much!!! Thanks, Katie!
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Okay. So last blog, Peepy and I had pulled practically an all-nighter to finish our chapter book, BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) . . .
(I actually did the writing, and Dan Santat did the illustrations, but Peeps claims that everything was her idea.)
How did we celebrate? Why with Dot's Cupcakes, what else . . .
Later, it was time to do all those exciting and glamorous things authors do when they are not writing. Like laundry, paying bills, and this . . .
Um, that's Peepy at the grocery store. The dog poster scared her, so she tried to hide from him . . .
   
Then it was time to go home . . .
. . . where we prepped for out teaching gig at the Santa Monica Public Library this Wednesday. The last time we were there, we were onstage with the Fonz . . .
 
This time, we'll be teaching and talking writing with teens as part of . . .
Inspire Me! A Teen Writers' Workshop
An intensive workshop where teens meet with local writers, develop their creative writing skills, and get a chance to publish their pieces in a Teen Zine. Authors include Sonya Sones, Lisa Yee , Robin Benway, and Ron Koertge. .
Hope you all had a wonderful Independence Day! Peeps and I watched our hometown parade . . .
BTW, even though we have been known to eat non-healthy desserts, here's what I did not eat for 4th of July, courtesy of the website "This is why you're fat . . . where dreams become heart attacks."
To see more heart cloggers, CLICK HERE.
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Phew!
Manuscript is in the mail. Well, it's in the e-mail and sent of to my editors Arthur Levine and Cheryl Klein . . .
It was crunch time last night to finish the second BOBBY book. And weird, since the first one's not even out yet. BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) debuts in September . . .
I've taken to working in the library. Though I love my office dearly, there are, um, a few distractions . . .
And though I love my kids (and dog) dearly, they are a few distractions . . .
 
. . . especially when it's summer vacation. There should be a law that authors with kids do not have to write in the summer, but will be subsidized.
So here's my view at the library . . .
And here's my set up . . .
   
And here's how I work on Scrivener, the Mac writing program . . .
And here's how I don't work while at the library. That's my Facebook page. I had posted that I was writing and lots of my FB friends sent me encouraging words, expect for author Barry Lyga . . .
Barry tried to distract me. Ever since he got on Facebook and Twitter, he's tried to get other authors to procrastinate along with him . . .
Later, I worked at home until 3:30 a.m.-ish keying in all my changes . . .
I actually fell asleep while writing. Oh dear. Not a good sign! Well, it's done now. On to the next!
Oh, and pssst . . . want to win a free copy of my novel ABSOLUTELY MAYBE? Then CHECK THIS OUT!
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'Tis the season for books to be in bloom. At least that was the case at the uber trendy Bungalow Club on Melrose in Hollywood . . .
 
That was the site fellow LAYA Michael Reisman's book launch party for Simon Bloom: The Octopus Effect. (BTW, does anyone else always get "effect" and "affect" mixed up?) . . .
Peepy was quite impressed by the chic-ness of the place. She also loved the food, especially the bookish cakes . . .
  
Later, she cornered Andrea Brown literary agent Jamie Weiss Chilton, and tried to wrangle book deal . . .
However, Jamie was apprehensive having heard of Peeps' run-in with Curtis Brown agent Ginger Knowlton when Peepy broke agent/author-to-be protocol and tried to slip Ginger a manuscript in the bathroom . . .
Meanwhile, Michael entertained us by juggling and donning his bathrobe to read from his books . . .
Above: Author Betty Birney, on the left, was so moved by Michael's (inexplicable) Irish accent, that she began to sob and had to wipe away her tears.
Good luck with your latest Simon Bloom book, Michael!
(BTW, that's author Amy Goldman Koss lurking in the shadows.)
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I think of myself as a smart person--now. However, when I was a kid, I did so many questionable things.
Like the time when I stuck my wet hand against the wall of the freezer to see what would happen. While it wasn't as tragic as this, it still was pretty bad.
Then there was the time I decided to cut my own hair. (Okay, you know you've done this, too.)
Or what about when I was one of 76,000 people who stood in line for HOURS in the hot sun just to smell stinkiest plant on the planet? Oh wait. That last one I did as an adult.
The Corpse Flower is beautiful, rare and wonderful . . .
. . . but it is stinks. And I mean, STINKS. It's smell is like decomposing corpse, hence it's name. CLICK HERE to find out more about the smell.
The bloom and subsequent stink happen only once every five years ago. I was there in 1999 and the image (and smell) stuck with me. Recently, the Corpse Flower bloomed again.
So, when I was writing BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY), I decided that Bobby should share that experience . . .
I set a scene at the Huntington Gardens, and let Dan Santat, my pal and the book's illustrator, have some fun with it. Here's Dan contemplating what to draw . . .
And here's a sketch from an ARC (advanced readers copy -- the real book comes out in September) . . .
I also changed the Corpse Flower to the Koloff Tree (a name I invented) and made it sticky, too, so Bobby could get stuck to the tree (in real life, we weren't allowed to touch the plant) . . .
Sadly, the Corpse Flower is now facing its doom, but if you missed it, there's always 2014.
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Question:
What happens when you get over a dozen LAYAs (Los Angeles young adult authors), lots of free pizza, games, prizes and a crowd of literature-loving Los Angelenos and pack them into an independent bookstore?
Answer:
LAYAPALOOZA!!!!
Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena was the site of this fun-for-all. It began with scrumptious fresh-baked pizza courtesy of Garlic Jim's in South Pasadena . . .
 
Wonderful live music was added . . .
Plus, a roomful of readers (I counted 14,432) . . .
 
Then the games began. There was "Spell the Author's Name" . . .
And other tests of literary brilliance . . .
  
In the cutest contestant category, the winner was this young fellow . . .
Later it was time for all the LAYAs to sign their books . . .
Look! Look! Lookit! It's the LAYAs -- aren't we a dignified bunch?
(In no particular order, Lisa Yee (that would be me), Kerry Madden, Cecil Castellucci, Jonathan Bernstein, Michael Reisman, Amy Goldman Koss, Mark London Williams, Sonya Sones, Ben Esch, Heather Tomlinson, Cherry Cheeva, Sally Nemeth, Anna Hays, Sasha Watson, Blake Nelson, Ron Koertge and Scott Bly.)
Oops. Here's how we normally look . . .
Oh! And in honor of Father's Day, CLICK HERE for a wonderful story. I dare you to read it and not get choked up.
To all the dads out there, and especially mine . . . Happy Father's Day!!!
(That's me in high school taking my father to the Daddy/Daughter Dance)
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Ah, the life of a traveling author is so glamorous, or maybe not . . .
However, things looked up once I landed in Little Rock, Arkansas. It began with a fabulous dinner with Sandy Ogburn before heading to Harding University . . .
Then, when Peepy and I checked into our room, we were met with a most excellent surprise . . .
Peeps and I fought over the glorious swag, but in the end decided to share. Because if we could not get along, then how could we expect countries to?
The next morning, my Teachers as Writers writing workshops began. I always get a little jittery when teaching teachers and librarians, because man do they know their stuff!
However, once I started babbling, everything was cool. How could it not be? I mean, just take at look at these lovely, intelligent, witty folk . . .
 
I tricked them into thinking I was nice . . . then put them to work writing . . .
 
At once point everyone was writing so furiously, the entire room moved . . .
Later, it was time for a meal with author/educator/conference coordinator Alexandria LaFaye. Don't you love her hat?
(I can't wear hats because of my spiky hair.)
While in Arkansas, I got tons of work done. Right now I'm revising my rough draft of the second "Bobby" book. The first one of this chapter book series comes out in September and is called BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY). The second book is called THIS BOOK HAS NO TITLE YET.
The next day, my flight was delayed. But that was okay because it gave me more writing time . . .
Ooooh, wait! I wanted to show you one of the gifts I received. Peepy claimed it was hers . . .
But I think it was meant for me. What do you think?
Hope to see many of you at Vroman's this Saturday at 2 p.m. for the LAYAPALOOZA Pizza Party! It's free and it's fun and there will be authors galore there!!!
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Let me just preface this blog by saying that I am very sad. I wiped out my iPhoto library of 483,019,381 photos. I have a history of doing this sort of thing.
Therefore, the new photos I was going to post are POOF! Gone. So, the photos you see have nothing whatsoever to do with this blog. But I thought I'd just put them in and you can pretend they are themed to whatever you just read.
Well, I'm heading out again. This time I'm an going to the state that hosts the World's Championship Duck Calling Contest . . . yes, Arkansas!
I'll be teaching at Harding University. What will I be teaching? One of the below:
1. Ultimate Kick-Boxing (Beginning)
2. Writing
3. Ballet (Advanced)
Here's more information about their Teachers As Writers Workshop.
Next Saturday, June 20 at 2 p.m. is the big LAYAPALOOZA PARTY at Vroman's in Pasadena!
What is LAYAPALOOZA? It's a bunch of LAYAs (LA Young Adult Authors) who know how to have a Palooza of a time. Plus, it's a live game show that tests contestants' knowledge of young adult and middle grade literature with games GUARANTEED to amaze and amuse.
Everyone's invited to this FREE event, so join us for a pizza party with a whole bunch of your favorite YA authors including:
Lisa Yee (that would be me)
Kerry Madden
Cecil Castellucci
Jonathan Bernstein
Michael Reisman
Amy Goldman Koss
Mark London Williams
Sonya Sones
Jordanna Fraiberg
Ben Esch
Heather Tomlinson
Cherry Cheeva
Sally Nemeth
Alexa Young
Anna Hays
Sasha Watson
Blake Nelson
(BTW, it took me FOREVER to do the html code to link the above LAYAs names to their sites, so please read each and every one of them, or at least pretend you did.)
I'll be blogging about Arkansas next, so see you when I get back!
UPDATE: Via the magic of Time Machine (the Mac program, not the futuristic travel vehicle), I managed to get my iPhotos back! However, I had already written this blog and am too lazy to go back and replace the photos.
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Okay, not to make anyone jealous or anything, but I got a top secret package in the mail the other day . . .
Yes! Yes! It was an ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy) of the sequel to the most marvelous HUNGER GAMES . . .
Here's what the highly anticipated CATCHING FIRE by Suzanne Collins looks like . . .
Also in the package was a letter that began, "Dear Very Deserving, Very Lucky Reader . . ."
Why? Because the book isn't in stores until September 1st!!!
Uh oh. Wait. That's the release date of my book BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY). Guess, you'll just have to run out and get both books! Here's my friend and illustrator Dan Santat taunting me because he got his ARCs first . . .
Anyway, back to CATCHING FIRE. I got other goodies too, like a CD and pins . . .
I had to read the book fast, before any family member got a hold of it . . .
(Um, I also read it backwards so no one would suspect I had the book.)
Now, I was asked not to reveal any of the plot, so here's my review:
CATCHING FIRE was amazing. Not only was it full of great words, but a lot of stuff happened that I can't talk about. And then there was this one part when I screamed. Plus, when that thing occurred, I thought, "Oh man, that's it." You MUST read CATCHING FIRE when it comes out. I promise, you won't be disappointed!
Here I am with Suzanne Collins on the day that I gave her the idea for her bestselling series . . .
(Or maybe it wasn't my idea. I'm sort of fuzzy on that.)
And finally, here's something completely unrelated. During the Tony Awards on Sunday, these boys won for Billy Elliot. I loved the movie and I just LOVED their acceptance speech. What do you think of it?
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| » Real Life Smart Kids + Tour de Donuts |
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Not too long ago I received an e-mail from a proud father. His daughter was attending college classes. This may not be big news, there are lots of dads with daughters in college . . . only Amy Lim is 11-years old.
It seems Amy read my novel MILLICENT MIN, GIRL GENIUS and got inspired! You can read the article by CLICKING HERE.
And here's Amy with Millicent . . .
  
I think she looks an awfully lot like Millie!
Speaking of smart enterprising kids, here's another one. Vincent, a 6th grader, has created his own website for kids who love to read and write. I first met Vincent when he was a 1st grader and am thrilled that he grew up to be an author.
You can check out his site HERE. It includes an interview with Moi and another one with Elise Broach who wrote MASTERPIECE and other great books.
Plus, there are video interviews like this one . . .
Since we're talking middle school, recently I went to Son's Open House. The library was having a book sale, something I can't resist. Look what I got!
I adore the Henry Reed books. My favorite one was about the donut machine. Anyone remember that one?*****
Before I go, I want to leave you with this donut fun-toid (I made up that word). Recently there was the Tour de Donuts in San Diego. That's where bikers would stop at donut shops and see how many donuts they could eat during the race.
Each donut consumed gave you a point. However, puking made you loose 1/2 the points you earned. CLICK HERE if you don't believe me!
(Above: A donut cake I made recently.)
***** Added later: The talented and handsome David LaRochelle reminded me in the comments below, that it was HOMER PRICE not Henry Reed and the donut machine. He is right, of course.
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Jun. 7th, 2009 @ 11:20 am
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| » Up with UP & Down with ARCHIE |
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This past weekend I saw UP, the new Pixar film and I LOVED IT.
I wasn't prepared for the richness of the plot, and I cried three times. And when I wasn't crying I was laughing. (BTW, does anyone else do this? When I cry at the movies, I wait a couple of scenes before wiping away the tears, so that no one will suspect I was blubbering.)
On the same day that I saw the movie, I went to hear Ronnie Del Carmen, the story supervisior, speak at Nucleus Gallery about the the making of UP . . .
It was a packed house . . .
Ronnie was wonderful. He told us that, " . . . at Pixar, it's about story, story, story. That's the department that stays the latest."
He also said, "We refine the movie one frame at a time. I watch it over and over and over again."
That reminded me of what I do when I write. I revise and revise and revise. Every single word, in every single sentence, in every single paragraph, on every singe page, is questioned. (Except when I write blogs.)
Here's Ronnie in action . . .
     
Speaking of questioning things, have you heard the news? Archie's going to propose . . . to Veronica!!!
HUH? I know! It's not right. What about Betty? I mean c'mon. I loved reading ARCHIE comics when I was a kid. I even had Millicent Min and Emily Ebers bond over the comics. But now . . . ?
What are your thoughts about this?
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Jun. 2nd, 2009 @ 11:39 pm
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| » I Loove Spelling Bees |
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Alright, let me begin by saying that I can't spell, but I LOVE spelling bees!!!
Proof: My very own copy of Spellbound, the great spelling bee documentary . . .
(Yes, I am a nerd.)
When I bought it, some guy in line said, "Spellbound? Is that scary?"
"Yes."
What's it about?"
"Spelling."
End of conversation.
Recently I watched the Scripp's National Spelling Bee. I mean, c'mon, how can you not love it? The tension. The drama. The words I can't even pronounce, much less attempt to spell without hurting myself . . .
As some of you know, I appeared in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on August 24, 2005 at 2 p.m.
Four audience members were selected to appear on stage to sing and dance and spell. I didn't let the fact that I can't sing or dance or spell stop me. Here's what happened. It was -t-h-r-i-l-l-i-n-g.
And now for some spelling fun for all. These are from William's Steig's The Bad Speller. Since my photos are kinda dinky and blurry, I'll write what's on each page. Your mission is to interpret it . . .
DAWG MUTHR N CHILED
DUNKY MAJISHAN PRODOOSNG A RABIT FRUM A HATT
MOWS DESENDING INA PARASHOOT
TO DUX TIPTONE PASST A SLEPEN FOCKS.
And here's a bonus . . .
One of my kids wrote that a looooong time ago. Can you figure out what it says?
While you're trying to figure it out, I'll leave you with the funny clip from last year's Bee . . .
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May. 30th, 2009 @ 11:03 pm
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| » Bathrooms, Books, and Good Spellers |
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When Peepy (pronounced Peep-ee) and I were at the Century City mall recently, we were tres impressed by the bathrooms. Why? Because of this . . .
 
The stalls were "sponsored" by Charmin. Inside were uber-realistic photos to make you think (sort of) that you were in a very nice bathroom in Martha Stewart's house.
Speaking of bathrooms, is this a new publishing trend? A Japanese company is printing stories on TOILET PAPER. I guess if you hate the story, you can just use to, um, you know. To find out more, CLICK HERE
(I couldn't find a photo of the scary toilet paper story, so here's sudoku toilet paper instead.)
More publishing news, this time from rapper Kanye West: "Sometimes people write novels and they just be so wordy and so self-absorbed," West said. "I am not a fan of books. I would never want a book's autograph."
And yet, he's written a (very short) book. To read this audacious story titled "Proud Non-Reader Kayne West Turns Author," CLICK HERE. Your thoughts?
And finally, here are some people who I think are amazing . . . kids who can spell!! Don't forget to watch the National S-P-E-L-L-I-N-G B-E-E this week. For more information, CLUCK HERE. (I spelled click wrong on porpoise.)
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May. 26th, 2009 @ 11:50 pm
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| » Bookin' During Summer Vacation |
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Aaaaah, summer vacation . . .
Summer is something every kid looks forward to, and every author with a kid(s) dreads. I mean, sure we love our children, but let's face it. It's hard to meet deadlines when your kids are with you 24/7. Wait, I take that back. They all disappear the minute dinner is on the table.
In order to help fill up your kid's summer (and their brain), and to make it more fun for everyone, Scholastic has created a really cool summer reading program . . .
The Scholastic Summer Challenge is online now and is tons of fun. In addition to book lists, celebrity shout-out videos, and chats about fav books, there are weekly autographed book prizes . . .
(I signed a billion bookplates for MILLICENT MIN, GIRL GENIUS, which is one the book prizes!)
And kids can take fun quizzes, play games, post their own reviews (although hopefully nothing THIS BAD), and more!
Plus, there are lots of author videos. Here's one I made for the Scholastic Summer Challenge. Peeps thinks it's all about her, and maybe it is. Oh, and uh, don't watch the last five seconds or so. It's me talking to the Scholastic people asking if I did okay. (I didn't know how to edit that out.)
Also, I wanted to remind you to check out the Bridget Zinn auction. Now's your chance to bid on autographed books, one-of-a-kind art, and more, and in the process, help out an upcoming author who got some rotten news about cancer.
To bid on ABSOLUTELY MAYBE, just CLICK HERE. Or to see all the other cool things you can bid on, CLICK HERE
And to read the Bridget Zinn Auction interview with me about my views on chocolate (white vs. dark), chicken dances, and more, just CLICK HERE
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May. 24th, 2009 @ 09:33 pm
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| » Heritage Round-Up and Book Club Rendezvous |
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Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) continues. And even in Quezon City, Phillipines, they're celebrating. Recently, I did a fun interview about what it's like to be Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy's dear friend and soulmate . . .
Oops. Wrong interview.
I meant to say, I did a fun interview for Into The Wardrobe. You can CLICK HERE to read it. (And to see what a cluttered author's office looks like.)
Speaking of heritage, I'm going to warp speed us back in time to show you my mom's family . . .
(This photo is in my American Girl novel, GOOD LUCK, IVY. My mother is the little girl on the right.)
And here are my parents on their wedding day . . .
And, in another Star Trekkian move, I've time warped myself to show you what I looked like when I was dressed in Chinese garb for Halloween one year . . .
Whooosh!!!! Okay, we're back to present time. Well, wait. Sort of. On Sunday I helped moderate the Pardon My Youth YA Book Club at Skylight Books. Book of the month: Judy Blundell's WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED.
It's always great fun talking about books. Here are some of the Book Clubbers before we all disagreed over the theme and a horrendous fistfight ensued and three people lost four teeth. And one person lost an eye. (Okay, that really didn't happen.)
   
While all the book talking was going on, Peepy slipped away and snacked . . .
BTW, on my last blog I was lamenting about a bad review I got. Well, I've been beat. On a more recent WORST REVIEW EVER, Alex Flinn discusses how she felt when a reviewer called her book a "candy-coated turd." Ouch!
Oh! And I wanted to mention this. While at the Book Club, I heard two wildly different things:
The first was a child pointing to a Newbery sticker on a book and saying, "It has a sticker, so it must be good."
And the second was another kid saying, "I saw the sticker and I thought, that means it's boring."
What do gold stickers on books mean to you?
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May. 20th, 2009 @ 12:06 am
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| » My Worst Review, Ever + Star Trek, Again |
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On our last blog, we were talking Star Trek. And because of the time warp/time travel factor, we still are. That's cause I decided to compare Star Trek, the original motion picture, with the new Star Trek movie. For research purposes.
Here's the Original, in it's original form. And the Original in hyper-speed mode . . .
 
My conclusion. The new Star Trek movie is better . . .
Why? Because the costumes are nicer and don't look as polyesterish as the original ones. There are other reasons, too, but you'll have to guess them.
Speaking of Star Trek, here's something really cool. One of my blog buddies, Hilde Garcia, is an alien . . . a TV Star Trek alien!!! Here are some shots from her website where she's undergoing her transformation as an Enterprise alien . . .
  
For more photos like this, and to read about Hilde's Star Trek experiences on the television shows, CLICK HERE!!!
And now for something traumatic. At least it was for me. Author Alexa Young has this hysterical/heartwrenching blog where she asks authors to talk about their WORST REVIEW EVER. The most recent victim? Me.
(Above: Millicent Min warp speeded and translated into Italian.)
Here's a sample of a review I received for MILLICENT MIN, GIRL GENIUS . . .
milli mouse
By A Customer
“this book has perhaps crossed a line. maybe a book as shallow has been invented, you havent read it, cause it doesnt exist. it was as sluggish and definetly not straight. full of stereo types, this book fades into dust”
###
When and where did this review appear?
This appeared on Amazon.com on September 3, 2003. It’s still there. I know. I checked.
How did you happen upon the review?
It was my debut novel and I was logging into Amazon.com every five minutes waiting to see if anyone would post a review.
How did you feel immediately after reading/watching the review?
I wanted to throw up. This was my very first review . . . ever, and I was convinced it was the beginning of the end of my writing career.
To read the whole sad, pitiful interview, CLICK HERE. You can even VOTE on how awful the review and/or the author is. Sigh.
So, to counterbalance my worst review ever, here's my best review ever.
Plus, some good news . . . ABSOLUTELY MAYBE has been named a YALSA Teens Top Ten Nominee. Wheeeeeeeee!!!!
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May. 16th, 2009 @ 10:58 pm
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| » Star Trekking |
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When I was a kid, I used to watch Star Trek on TV. This monster, who could turn into your favorite person, and then would suck the salt out of you and kill you, gave me nightmares . . .
However, that didn't stop me from making a Mother's Day request. I wanted to see the new Star Trek movie.
It was TERRIFIC!!!! So then, today I saw it again. This time for research purposes . . .
Dan Santat, who's illustrating my chapter book series, Bobby Vs. Girls (Accidentally), came with me. For research purposes.
(That's not Dan, but the cover of one of his books, written by Tammi Sauer.)
The main character in my upcoming middle grade novel is a major Trekkie/Trekker. So, I've been researching all things Star Trek . . .
I even own the Star Trek, TOS (the original series), season one . . .
A friend of mine, Len Mlodinow, used to write for Star Trek: The Next Generation. He penned the recent NEWSWEEK cover story about his Trek experiences . . .
  
You can CLICK HERE to read his funny/insightful insider's view of the franchise.
Len's also wrote the NY Times Bestselling non-fiction The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives. Here he is at our first and only annual Lunch 'n' Len get-together . . .
Trivia Alert: In a past life I used to write/produce radio commercials and worked with DeForest Kelley, who played McCoy/Bones on TOS. He was the voice of Pet Dairy. That's him on the right, although he didn't dress like that all the time . . .
Whoooosh!!! (Pretend we just went into warp speed and are in a parallel universe where the subject has changed.)
If anyone's read (or is interested in) the National Book Award-winning What I Saw And Why I Lied by Judy Blundell, I'll be helping moderate the Pardon My Youth YA Book Club discussion group at Skylight Books on Sunday at 2 pm.
Live long and prosper!
 
(Um . . . does it matter which hand you use to make the Vulcan sign?)
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May. 12th, 2009 @ 11:47 pm
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| » Letters About Literature |
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Those of us "of a certain age," wrote letters. On paper. They were tucked into an envelope, addressed, stamped and mailed.
These days, many kids (and adults) IM, Twitter, Tweet, and Text, which I find quite confusing. It's its own language. For example:
POS = Parent over shoulder
WYGAM = When you get a minute
(CLICK HERE for more secret codes.)
Still, over 54,000 students, from grades four through 12, sat down and wrote an old-fashioned letter. And not just any letter, but a letter to an author telling him/her how their book changed their lives.
Each year the Library of Congress and The Center for the Book holds their Letters About Literature contest. For the 2008/2009 contest, every single letter was read and from the 54,000 entries, 5,000 of them moved on to state-level judging. From there, the winners from each state advanced to national judging.
Recently, I had the honor of being a national judge for Level I (grades 4, 5, and 6). The letters were heartfelt, moving and touching. Some made me laugh. Many made me cry. The winning letters were to Cynthia Lord and Sharon Draper.
 
You can read both HERE.
In all, there were three grade levels, and two winners in each catergory. The six national winners each received $10,000 grants to go to the library of their choice.
Last year, North Carolina's winner wrote a letter to me. And this year, I was thrilled to learn that one of California's honorable mentions had written about Millicent Min, Girl Genius . . .
 
One of the best things about being an author is hearing from readers. When my first novel came, my daughter said, "You?!?!?? You get fan mail?" Neither of us could believe it. Sometimes, I still can't.
Most of my readers send me e-mails. However, I still get old-fashioned letters in the mail. These are sent to my publisher who forwards them to me . . .
Some fans write to tell me how much they've liked my books. Often, I hear from parents. Many times kids write to as part of a school assignment. (One time I got the EXACT same letter from five different students from the same class . . . hmmmm.)
Hubby once wrote to an author, and when she never replied, he felt slighted. It was only after he was older that he learned that the reason Laura Ingalls Wilder never wrote back was because she had died in 1957. (He wrote his letter years after that.)
If you are a teacher or librarian, consider having your students enter the Letters About Literature contest. Here are the rules for 2009/2010.
Speaking of soda (yes, that was an awkward transition), you can read an interview with Moi over at A Diet Coke-Fueled Life. Plus, over at ReaderGirlz is a blog about the Absolutely Maybe cover.
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May. 9th, 2009 @ 11:00 pm
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| » Asian Pacific Heritage Month and Moi on Fox Sports Network? |
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Eeeek!!! I'm on a sports TV network.
I could see how people would assume that's a natural fit since Tiger Woods and I are exactly alike . . .
 
I'm Asian, Tiger is part Asian.
I've lived in Florida, Tiger's lived in Florida.
I've seen a golf course, Tiger's seen a golf course.
I have a Labradoodle, Tiger has a Labradoodle.
 
(Puppy, when she was a puppy. And Puppy, now older, when she ate a microbead pillow.)
Also, so many of you know me as a jock. Or not. Although, I did fence in college, and I also took a bowling class . . .
However, it seems that my sports prowess, or lack of it, that didn't deter Fox Sports Network a.k.a. FSN.
In celebration of Asian Pacific American Month, they have produced a series of short vignettes called Americans in Focus. Featured are actor Phiip Ahn, legendary cinematographer James Wong Howe, Cambodian activist Sara Pol-Lim, the men of the WWII 100th Infantry Battalion, and others. (You can read more about everyone HERE.)
So, anyway, last month, Peepy and I went into the studio to tape our segment . . .
  
Peeps had high hopes that it would lead to a movie career for her. It didn't, but we still had a great time at the taping. I talked about writing Asian American characters and how when I was growing, there were no books out there with kids like me. And I worried that I was blubbering and babbling, which is never attractive.
So when I finally saw the segment, what was my initial reaction? It was . . . that my head looked too big. And round.
I also wondered if I got my facts right. I said I was a third generation Chinese American. There seems to be disagreement on this. Some people say first generation Americans are the ones who came here. Others say, it's the first ones born here. What do you think? (For the record, both sets of my grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from China.)
I don't have times that the segment will run, but if you want to see it you can watch FSN 24/7/30. Or you can see it here . . .
Lisa Yee
This Americans in Focus will run daily throughout the month of May on FSN (Fox Sports Network).
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May. 5th, 2009 @ 11:21 pm
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