The Lisa Yee Blog

Blobbing (?) and (More) Rose Parade Peepness

2010-01-06T07:05:39Z

This weekend I'll be at the sunny Santa Barbara/Ventura SCBWI Region Retreat 2010, teaching one or two or three of the following . . .
A) Blobbing
B) Sobbing
C) Blogging
D) Clogging

The other presenters for the Cyber Promotional Tools for Published Authors/Illustrators Conference include these industry experts . . .

(That's Greg Pincus, Anastasia Suen and Harold Underdown)

I predict the weekend will be so successful that movie studios will be clamoring to make it into an IMAX feature film. One that'll rival AVATAR in box office boffo.

Peepy and I will play ourselves, of course . . .

But in the other roles, George will play Greg, Julia will be Anastasia, and Brad will take on the role of Harold . . .

The conference is being put together by SCBWI Regional Advisor Alexis O'Neill who will be played by Ashleigh Banfield . . .

I'll be blogging LIVE from the conference, but in the meantime, here are the rest of the Rose Parade float photos I promised you. They were all taken the night before the parade . . .

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Rose Parade Peep, Trendy Fish, and Other Fun Stuff!!!

2010-01-03T00:45:49Z

Hooray, it's the first blog of the 2010!!!

Hey, guess what? That's what. No really, for the 2009 Golden Fuse Awards, in the ultra uber prestigious Favorite Trend of the Year category, the distinguished winner was: Pet Fish With Minds of Their Own . . . and that included Bobby Vs. Girls (Accidentally) - Bobby has a fish named Rover who does tricks . . .

(Insert clever transition here.) In a past life, I used to write and produce the Disney parade TV specials. Can you find me in these photos?

(In the above shot, I am hiding under the flowers that are in front of Ben Vereen and Joan Lunden. I have a headset on so when they are live on-air, they can hear me telling them to say.)

(In this cast/crew photo, I'm the short person with the longish black hair. Regis Philbin's also in the photo, can you spot him?)

Speaking of parades (see, that was a pretty smooth transition wasn't it?), last year, last blog, that would be in December 2009, we were admiring Peepy's hard work on our hometown Rose Parade Float. Well, here's the finished float . . .

Remember those empty vials? Well they were filled with flowers everywhere!

Every year, Peeps and Moi hit the Rose Parade float line-up area at midnight. That's were all the floats are staged before they ride down the televised route. We ring in the new year, plus get to see ALL the floats up close and personal.

Here are some of the Rose Parade floats (not all are finished and there's usually a last minute rush to get all the flowers on). Plus, if a few look broken, they're not. They are so big they are built in pieces so they don't knock down the power lines and trees when they journey to the route . . .

How did we get such great access to the floats? Well, let's just say that Peepy knows people . . .

(There are a lot more Rose Parade photos, and they wouldn't all fit here. So I'll post some more on my next blog.)

BTW, my New Year's resolution is to do less. Have you figured out yours yet?

Peepy's resolution is to go to fewer parties. Here she is on New Year's Eve after celebrating a tad too much . . .

Oh! and I wanted to add, that over at Tales of the Rushmore Kid, my "Writing Tip of the Day" was one of the most popular post of 2009! You can read it here.

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By and Bye 2009!!!

2009-12-31T06:48:08Z

Whoa . . . where did the time go????

It's been a busy year with 43 days on the road and three books out, like ABSOLUTELY MAYBE . . .

BOBBY VS. GIRS (ACCIDENTALLY) . . .

Plus a story in GEEKTASTIC: STORIES FROM THE NERD HERD.

I was even on Fox Sports Network! Yes. Three disconnects. Fox. Sports. Me. But look, it's for real!
Lisa Yee

I was going to do a 2009 Blog in Review, but have suddenly become stricken with lazybloggeritis. However, if you're curious, or bored, you can CLICK HERE and see the over 12,765ish blogs I wrote in 2009.

Speaking of presents (okay, so we weren't really but, um, let's pretend we were), Puppy's favorite Christmas gift this year was her Mr. Bill toy. (If you remember Mr. Bill from Saturday Night Live, then you're old like me!)

Sadly, for Mr. Bill, Puppy "overloved" her toy . . .

Speaking of the Rose Parade (Disclaimer: I've used up all my transitional sentences for the year), once again, Peepy is single-handedly building our hometown float.

Here's the logo--it's made from seeds and such. EVERYTHING is all natural. Also, here are some of Peep's float-building tools . . .

As always, it comes down to the wire (or Wisteria, or whatever flowers are put on right before the parade). So here's what the float looks like before the blossoms are placed. See those green vials? Each one will be filled with flowers. Also, that bucket of red? Those are seeds that are GLUED to that red trolly . . .

Here's the Rialto Theater. It figures prominently in the spin-off novel to the Millicent Min series I'm writing AT THIS VERY MOMENT (sort of). Also, our beloved library is on the float . . .

Plus, here's Peepy . . . can you see her?

We will be walking the parade route at midnight and will send you photos for our very first blog of 2010. In the meantime HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! (And here's hoping that all our computers in general, but mine in particular, have a happy new year, too.)

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Christmas Feast and Fun

2009-12-28T08:51:50Z

Peepy had the most wonderful Christmas! We both did. It began on December 24th when we went to this very festive place . . .

In Bobby Vs. Girls (Accidentally), Bobby's favorite food is/are donuts. Son loves them, too, and gets a box every Xmas.

On Christmas Eve, I was determined not to repeat the mistake my family refers to as "The Year Mom Ruined Christmas."

So this year we watched this . . .

. . . and recalled the fun we had when we saw one of the animators who worked on the film. Plus, we were thankful that no one was bludgeoned to death in this movie.

The next day was a present opening frenzy. I plan all year for Christmas, buying gifts when I see the perfect one for each person. And then . . . and then . . . it's over in about 2-1/2 seconds!

We got lots of cool gifts ourselves, like these lovely new Snuggies which we are wearing AT THIS VERY MOMENT AS WE WRITE THIS BLOG!!!!

(Um, mine's dark brown and therefore hard to see. But it's surprisingly soft and cozy!)

Now, I'm not sure if many of you are aware of this, but I am Asian. Yes! Asian. Which translated means . . . all my relatives get together for Christmas and we EAT, EAT, EAT, EAT, EAT. If you don't believe me, look this this . . .

Hope your holidays were grand!!!

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Happy Holidays from Peepy, Moi and The Guys!!!!

2009-12-24T00:00:47Z

When Peepy returned from her peeparazzi laden trip back east, she was pleased to find a special limited edition book from Mo Willems in the mail, plus a Lunch Lady card from Jarrett Krosoczka . . .

Both put her in the holiday spirt, so I took a break from writing and we went on a tour of highly decorated houses. Guess which one is ours????

If you guessed . . . NONE! You are correct!!!

While we were on our home tour, Peeps ran into some of her good friends. They all wished her a very special Merry Christmas . . .

And get this! Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy has told Peepy that he wants her to star with him in the sequel to Pride and Prejudice. It's called Pride and Prejudice and Peepy . . .

Wheeeeee!!!! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!!!!

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Peepy Travels First-Class . . . Alone

2009-12-20T08:28:32Z

As you may know, a Peeps Store opened recently. Peepy and I were very excited about it and had even received our own super special VIP invitation to the Grand Opening . . .

Peepy really, really, really wanted to go. Especially since the store was a tribute to her.

But I've been busy writing a book and couldn't make last week's opening . . .

(That's my office. I'm in there, somewhere.)

Then yesterday Peeps decided that she just had to go visit the store, even if it meant leaving me behind. And so she took her first solo trip back east, flying first class, of course . . .

It was freezing in the Washington, DC area where the store was . . .

Still, Peepy was determined to get the the Peeps place no matter what. But first she stopped for a snack . . .

(The food was better than the spelling.)

At last! Peeps made it to the Peeps Place . . .

Of course, when she left the store, the peeparazzi were waiting for her . . .

She graciously stopped and posed for pictures . . .

Happy Holidays to You from Me and my Peep!!!!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Oh! Wait! One more thing . . .

CLICK HERE for an interview I did with Once Upon a Romance. There's all sorts of juicy stuff in it, including my popular recipe for chicken-flavored brownies.

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Fa La La La La La LAYA Party!!!!

2009-12-16T08:27:08Z

Well, the LAYAs (Los Angeles Young Adult Authors) were at it again.

Yes! It was the Annual LAYA Holiday Extravaganza where celebrities like Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy, Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp got to hobnob with the literary elite of Los Angeles. Or maybe the LAYAs just mingled amongst themselves . . .

We feasted on the exquisite food provided by Potluck LAYA-Style . . .

And then we played Dirty Santa (a.k.a. White Elephant Gift Exchange) where there were cars and crowns and toe socks as prizes . . .

Later, it was time to wrangle the LAYAs. Not an easy job . . .

But we did it!!!

Here's who was at the party . . .

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE LAYAS!!!!

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Peeple Flock to Peepy's New Place

2009-12-13T08:10:44Z

Recently, a PEEP STORE opened. Well, of course, Peepy was quite excited about this . . .

A whole store dedicated to her! And why not? After all, she's well traveled . . .

She hobnobs with famous people including Julie Andrews, Richard Peck, Marlee Matlin, Henry Winkler, New York City Cops, S.E. Hinton and Mike Jung (first runner up of our Bodacious Book Contest), Wild Things and Jon Scieszka. Guess who's who . . .

Peeps has been immortalized by world-famous artists . . .

She wears couture . . .

She's a media darling . . .

And once, when she went missing, the world held its breath until the dramatic rescue . . .

Oh. Well, there has been so diva-like bad behavior, but that's in the past, she says . . .

So is it any wonder that we received this VIP Save the Date . . .

YES! Peepy and I were invited guests to the Grand Opening of the PEEPS STORE . . .

It seems that Just Born, the Peeps people, know all about Peepy and her adventures! Sadly, we weren't able to make the event. But it's for the best. If Peepy had shown up, all the attention would have been on her instead of the store. Congratulations PEEPS STORE!!!

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Indie Books, Peepy's Parade and an Unexpected Santa Sighting!

2009-12-09T19:31:51Z

This past weekend, we were very busy. Peepy and I went to visit our friend Maureen, who owns the great indie bookstore Once Upon a Time in Montrose, to say hello and to drop off some bookmarks.

Er, clarification: Maureen's store is called Once Upon a Time and it's in Montrose . . .

Then it was time to get supplies and settled down for the Montrose-Glendale Christmas Parade . . .

We had great seats right across from Maureens' store. A tall person stood in front of us, even though we had gotten there early. (I hope Santa took that person's name down.) However, it didn't dampen the festivities for us . . .

Peeps was particularly pleased when this group did a performance just for her and spelled out P-E-E-P-Y!!! (Sort of.)

The next day, our indie bookstore visits continued. This time we were at Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse . . .

You may recall that earlier this year, I taught a workshop there. Then one month later a huge truck crashed right into the store . . .

Well, happily, the store is back and operating. In fact, it was the locale for the Writer2Writer program, this time featuring fellow LAYA author Andrew Smith. His new book, In the Path of Falling Objects is terrific, but don't read it if you are alone in the desert with a tin man . . .

Later, another LAYA, Amy Goldman Koss, and I dished at DISH, a really good restaurant down the street. And look who was at the next table!!!!

(I guess even he has to eat.)

Oh! And since we've been talking about indie booksellers, check out THIS HILARIOUS BLOG by bookseller/author/blogger/celebrity judge Elizabeth Bluemle on why customers reject books.

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Librarians in the Bathroom?

2009-12-06T07:31:48Z

Hooray, the copyedited BOBBY THE BRAVE (SOMETIMES) is out the door!!!

Even though it's all done digitally, I still print it out on old-fashioned paper and give it the once-over before hitting "send" . . .

Here's more reason for Peepy and I to celebrate. Recently, we were invited to visit the San Gabriel Library . . .

We had a wonderful time talking to the crowd of 23,876-ish people. And what was really fun was afterward the library held a raffle for free Lisa Yee books!

Here are some of the winners. And the most amazing this is that they all had hot pink hair, just like Maybelline who's on the cover of ABSOLUTELY MAYBE. To marvel at a whole slew of good-looking pink-haired people, CLICK HERE.

Um, we had a couple of hair malfunctions, but then got it right . . .

But guess what? It was like (practically) THE ENTIRE LIBRARY STAFF had pink hair, too! Here's Alex Zamora, the library page . . .

And lookit! Lookit! We just happened to get this totally candid shot of Kristen Thorpe, library assistant and all-around totally cool chick, and the amazing Jose Parra, the children's librarian . . .

Oh! Oh! Such fun! Later we snuck off to the super-secret, ultra-exclusive, private VIP, celebrities-only room to gossip about books, and where the best bakery was, and our hair and other totally important stuff . . .

Speaking of hair, Puppy has gone from hot pink . . .

. . . to her natural color. Here she is after she ate a Christmas gift I had bought for someone who was not her . . .

BTW, know a teen who's a whiz at making videos? If so, tell them about FreshBrain.org --$1000 scholarship to create a book trailer for the middle grade verse novel, Hugging the Rock. Deadline December 15th -- Details are here: http://freshbrain.org/scholarship/freshbrain-video-book-trailer-scholarship

And finally, from pink hair to pink gloves . . .

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Shopping for Books and Water Buffalo

2009-12-02T23:14:12Z

Not to brag or anything, BUT I AM DONE WITH ALL MY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING.

Yes, it is my annual tradition to get it all squared away BEFORE Thanksgiving. If you still have some shopping to do, why not head over to your local indie bookseller? You never know what fabulous books you'll find like the ones in the SCIBA Holiday Catalogue. . .

BTW, the book on the cover is called THE CHRISTMAS MAGIC by Lauren Thomson. The illustrator is the talented New York Times bestselling Jon Muth, seen here on right with illustrator/author/celebrity judge Mark Teague and mucho award-winner Walter Dean Myers on left . . .

Speaking of books, this week I'm working on the copyedits of BOBBY THE BRAVE (SOMETIMES), the sequel to BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) . . .

It's all done digitally and looks like this . . .

However, it can get confusing because of where to click and not click and STET and not STET. So, I thought, I know . . . COFFEE!!!

Um, now I am not a COFFEE!!! drinker, but Starbucks had this Peppermint Mocha La La Delish Latte Just For Lisa, so I got one. Only, it didn't help my copyediting because COFFEE!!! does strange things to me . . .

. . . but ooooOOOooooh, is it good!!!

Speaking of strange, our friend and illustrator of the BOBBY books, Dan Santat . . .

. . . went out of town recently. He asked us to babysit his pets . . .

Oops. That's not Dan's pet. It's Son's water buffalo. I KID YOU NOT!!! Here's another great gift idea . . .

Heifer International lets you give life-changing gifts to hungry families around the world. Son used his own money to buy a share of a water buffalo. I bought really cool animals which I cannot mention because some of the people reading this may get them as gifts in their names.

Oh, back to Dan. He's got this in is office . . .

It's a wall! It's a chalkboard! It's a chalkboard wall!

Too cool.

And finally, since we're in the giving and receiving of gifts mode, look! Look! Yes, it's Karen B. Schwartz , the Grand Prize Winner of Lisa Yee's 42nd Annual Bodacious Book Contest with her Bodacious Book Contest Grand Prizes, including the coveted petrified orange . . .

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Happy Feet and Julie Andrews

2009-11-29T07:13:41Z

We're still in Philadelphia, even though we are not really. Yes, that is the power of blogs (and authors who have too much stuff to blog about!).

Last blog we were wondering to whom these famous shoes belonged to . . .

. . . and we will get to that. But first, this.

After an action/author-packed day, the next morning was the annual Scholastic Literary Brunch . . .

Everyone got cool swag, including books from each author reading at the event . . .

Peeps sat with the incredible Stick Man/Events-Author Program Queen Jacky Harper (who Holly Harper in BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) is named after), Dick Robinson, CEO, Chairman and President of Scholastic, Francisco Stork, and his editor (and mine) Cheryl Klein. Here, Jacky gifts Peeps with a flower . . .

Soon it was time for the authors to read from their latest masterpieces. Each author was introduced by Scholastic Library and Educational Marketing Guru John Mason. Patrick Carmen went first, followed by Maureen Johnson, Kathryn Lasky, Patricia McKissack (was unable to make it, so Jacky read for her), Maggie Stiefvater, Francisco Stork,

. . . and then Moi . . .

Here's what the beautiful/Nobel Prize caliber audience looked like . . .

It was a great end to a great time at a great convention . . .

Oh! Oh! Oh! Those shoes? Did you guess? Here's who those happy feet belong to . . .

(Justine Labalestier and Brian Selznick!!!)

And guess who was on the flight back to Los Angeles with me???? I'll give you a hint . . . JULIE ANDREWS!!!!! She had keynoted at NCTE. We had met once before, but I didn't want to bother her. However, I will post this photo of our last encounter. . .

BTW, if any of you are in the San Gabriel/Los Angeles/Pasadena area, come visit PEEPY (and me) at the San Gabriel Library this Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.!!! You can CLICK HERE for more info.

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Turkey and Talk: NCTE, part twooooo

2009-11-25T07:34:05Z

When we last left off, we were in Philadelphia. Home of the Liberty Bell and this creeeeepy/cool place that my friend Carla told me about.

However, Peepy and stayed away from creepy stuff and instead hung out with the cool kids. That's cause the place was packed full o' authors! Here are just a few that we ran into/stalked on the floor of the NCTE Convention.

Caldecottian David Wiesner, Baby Mouse's (Mice?) Jenny and Matt Holm(s), plus gadfly David Lubar . . .

(If it looks like David's trying to strangle Peepy, he is. They had a disagreement over apples and oranges.)

While Peeps recovered from her David Lubar encounter, and BTW David, she says you should watch your back and other body parts, we ran into the talented Mr. Greg Neri and also Literature Affectionado/Soon-to-Be-Author Monica Edinger, New York Times Bestselling gal Maggie Stiefvater, multiple award winner Kathryn Lasky and that always awesome Lunch Lady-esque couple, Gina and Jarrett Krosoczka . . .

,

Then Peeps and Moi attended the NCTE Books for Children Luncheon. Everyone at our table got a copy of BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) . . .

After, it was time for our booksigning. We were thrilled to run into our editor Cheryl Klein, and later we went out to eat (yes, again) . . .

Soon it was time for our rousing Blogging Panel with the gals, Maureen Johnson, Barbara O'Connor, Laurie Halse Anderson, and Justine Larbalestier . . .

(That's Justine on the left in the last photo)

Next, food again! (Oink.) The M.R. Robinson Reception and Dinner, was hosted by Scholastic head honcho Dick Robinson. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving feast for almost 800 guests. Peeps was convinced the dinner was in her honor. However, that's not totally true. This NCTE/Scholastic Thanksgiving tradition has been going on for several decades and is named in honor of Dick's father . . .

Then, to cap off an incredible day, I got to finally meet the amazing Sara Zarr in person!!! We've been corresponding for YEARS, but have never been face-to-face before. I even named a character after Sara . . .

NEXT BLOG: More NCTE Convention. Plus . . . what famous authors are attached to these boots/shoes????

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Pre-NCTE Behind-the-Scenes Book Deal (or maybe not)

2009-11-22T06:38:43Z

I love teachers. My parents were teachers. And I especially love English teachers. They were the ones who nurtured and encouraged my writing.

So, it was my honor to attend the NCTE Conference in Philadelphia. Imagine, thousands of English teachers together in one (humongous) building. Yes, some students' nightmare was my dream come true.

I arrived on Friday night, just in time for the Scholastic Family Dinner. This was an excuse for Scholastic authors and staff to hang out, eat too much, and have fun.

Of course, for Peepy, it was a chance for her to pitch her epic memoir/fashion tips narrative un-fiction novelette. Here, she's telling Caldecott winner Brian Selznick (left) and amazing author Jordan Sonneblick about her book . . .

Brian immediately told author/editor David Levithan about Peepy's idea(s) . . .

Emboldened, Peeps then asked authors Francisco Stork, Jane Yolan and Patrick Carman for book blurbs . . .

However, when she approached Gordon Korman they got in an argument--although they later made up. (Gordon told Peeps that before she gets blurbs, she needs to write to book) . . .

Soon it was time for dinner at the fancy schmanzy Capital Grille . . .

After too many desserts, Peeps marched up to Dick Robinson, CEO, Chairman and President of Scholastic and insisted he publish her book. He too encouraged her to write it first . . .

Saddened that she still does not have a contract, Peepy was consoled by the beautiful view from our room . . .

Next Blog: Our first day at the convention.

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Bodacious Book Contest WINNERS!!!!!

2009-11-19T03:53:43Z

So, while the rest of us were galavanting around town with our dear friends . . .

Our Celebrity Judges have been hard at work . . .

Oops. I meant THESE judges: Elizabeth Bluemle and Josie Levitt of The Flying Pig Bookstore in Vermont . . .

And, Vroman's Children's Book Department Manager Kris Vreeland . . .

It was soooooo hard to select the best out of (practically) four million entries, but YES! we have a WINNER for Lisa Yee's 42nd Annual Bodacious Book Contest!!!!

But first, let's review the fine prizes . . .

(Disclaimer: Peep not included.)

And up close . . .

And really, really up close, here's perhaps the most coveted of the prizes, a lovely petrified orange that sat on my desk for who-knows-how-long . . .

So, now . . . the Grand Prize winner is . . .

Oh wait. Before we get to that, I want to do some special shout outs! Hubby, Teen, Son and I made our own selections. The authors of these entries can bask in the knowledge that they have been laughed at, and I mean that in the nicest possible way . . .

The Teen and Son selection is . . .

Book: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Summary by Really Ginny: Don't give a mouse a cookie
(Note: Couldn't find my copy of IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE, so I put an Edward Gorey title in its place)

The Hubby (he's the one on the left) call out goes to . . .

Book: The Hobbit
Summary by Shannon Brewer: Previously unadventurous halfling battles dragon, wins.

And my personal favorite was . . . I'll tell you later. But first, the Celebrity Judges Honorable Mentions . . .

Book: Good Night Moon
Summary by Kelly Fineman: Good night, I said good night

Book: I'll Love You Forever
Summary by Alex Flinn: Mom's at the window. Help! Police

Book: Are You There God, It's Me Margaret?
Summary by Jo Whittemore: The book ends with a period.
Summary by Really Ginny: Are You There God….Dear Margaret. Leave a message. God.

Book: Hunger Games
Summary by Jet Harrington: Make friends. Influence people. Escape Death

Book: The Graveyard Book
Summary by Paul Acampora: No body loved Nobody. Somebody lived.

Book: All of a Kind Family
Summary by Jeanne K: Pack of roving sisters terrorize Manhattan.

And now the FIRST RUNNER UP and winner of some prizes, and person to take over the Grand Prize winner's spot if the pressure of being a winner is too much for said Grand Prize Winner . . .

Book: Harold & the Purple Crayon
Summary by Mike Jung: Boy with crayon experiences intense hallucinations

DRUMROLL PLEASE . . . the judges' unanimous pick (and my personal favorite) and winner of the GRAND PRIZE, including the petrified orange . . .

Book: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Summary by Karen B. Schwartz: Five kids get their just desserts.

CONGRATULATIONS KAREN!!!!
(Karen and Mike, please email me via my website so I can send you your fabulous prizes.)

Thank you to all who entered the contest. Your summaries were magnificent and so are you!

And for anyone attending the NCTE Convention (National Convention of Teachers of English) in Philadelphia this weekend, here's my schedule . . .

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21
12:30-2:30pm Books for Children Luncheon - featuring Brian Selznick

2:00-3:00pm Scholastic Signing—Booth #618 with Patrick Carman

4:15-5:30pm Authors' Blogs: Connections, Collaboration, and Creativity with with Laurie Halse Anderson, Barbara O'Connor, Maureen Johnson and Justine Larbalestier - Convention Center-Room 103A

5:45-7:45pm 77th Annual M.R. Robinson Reception & Dinner - Marriott, Grand Ballroom

8:00pm Night Cap Social with the Alliance for Young Artists, the National Writing Project, with Alice Quinn, the Executive Director of the Poetry Society of America - Marriott—Salon B

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22
10:00-11:30am Scholastic Literary Brunch . . .

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Hello, David Levithan and Bye-Bye Bobby #2

2009-11-16T06:46:08Z

I am soooooo sorry! I know I said we'd announce the winner of the Bodacious Book Contest. However, the entries were so great that the judges are still deliberating. Soon! Soon! We will crown our winner soon!!!

In the meantime, recently Peepy and I were lucky enough to see our friend David Levithan at Vroman's.

David, who is also VP/Editorial Director at Scholastic, was on tour for his latest novel, LOVE IS THE HIGHER LAW. Yes, he is an overachiever and we wish he would stop. (He makes us look like slackers.)

Anyway, before David's event, we bumped into authors Cecil Castellucci and Blake Nelson. They were browsing . . .

Here's David from where we were sitting . . .

And here he is, up close and personal . . .

A raffle was held for an ARC (advanced readers copy) of David's upcoming blockbuster bestseller, WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON, hence to be known as WG2. He wrote it with uber author John Green. Here's John with WG2 editor Julie Strauss-Gabel . . .

Guess who won the raffle????

Teen was with us, so I had David sign the book to . . . ME!

(He signed LOVE IS THE HIGHER LAW for her.)

Not to rub it in, but . . . hahahahaha!!! The book doesn't come out until April 2010 and I've already read it, and loved it!!!

I asked John Green about the title and main characters' names. Why not call it, "JOHN GREEN, JOHN GREEN" or "DAVID LEVITHAN, DAVID LEVITHAN"?

And he said, "We chose the name in advance--it was one of the few things picked at the outset. David chose the Will and I chose the Grayson." Then he added, "We wanted to call it PEEPY, PEEPY, but her lawyers wouldn't let us." (Okay, maybe he didn't say that last sentence--but he probably thought it.)

In other news . . . YES! I just finished the line-edits of BOBBY THE BRAVE (SOMETIMES), the second book in the Bobby Ellis-Chan series. I was having problems with the endings and kept scribbling notes . . .

I even wrote the perfect last line in my sleep. But in the morning, when I looked at the paper I wrote it on, MY PEN HAD GONE DRY.

That's okay. I came up with a better line when I was awake. And now it's done! I've sent off the manuscript to these fine editors in NYC . . .

(That would be Cheryl Klein, on left, Moi in the middle, and Arthur Levine.)

And finally, fashion tip of the week. Don't iron. Use this . . .

It's what busy authors and others everywhere use to get rid of wrinkles! Sadly, it only works on clothes.

Alrighty. Getting ready to rumble with Laurie Halse Anderson, Barbara O'Connor, Maureen Johnson and Justine Larbalestier at the NCTE Convention in Philadelphia this weekend.

We're all on a panel together.
The topic is one of the following:
Dentistry
Blogging
Quick 'n' Easy Crock Pot Recipes

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Bobby Loves NYPL + Posters Galore!!!

2009-11-11T19:09:40Z

Wheeeee!!!

We got some great news about BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY). The New York Public Library named it one of the TOP 100 BOOKS FOR READING AND SHARING FOR CHILDREN and adults and animals!!!!! (I may have added that last part.)

(A tragedy involving Peepy once occurred at the NYPL, but it ended well.)

Here's NYPL's own Betsy Bird's review of BOBBY for School Library Journal!

Speaking of Bobby, earlier this week, Dan Santat and I journeyed a couple miles down the road to Carver Elementary School in San Marino, CA. We were there to talk about BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) . . .

We spoke to the fourth and fifth grades . . .

(If you take out your magnifying glass, you'll see that I'm in the first photo and Dan's in the second one.)

It was soooooo cool because the fifth graders made posters announcing our event . . .

We didn't have room for all of them, but here are a few selected at random . . .

Everyone was wonderful and we had a greatfabuloustotallycool time!!!

For those of you holding your breath(s) to hear about the Bodacious Book Contest winners, they will be announced in my next blog!!!!! (We had practically sort of a million entries, and we don't want to rush to judgement.)

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Wait, Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!!!

2009-11-08T10:38:40Z

Our Celebrity Judges . . .

. . . are still hard at work pouring over the (practically) millions of contest entries for the Bodacious Book Contest.

So, Peepy and I decided that while they were working, we'd have some fun!

Yes! We went to see NPR's Wait, Wait . . . Don't Tell Me! live at the Pasadena Civic Center . . .

We got there early so Peepy could chat with some of her friends. Then we found our seats . . .

The panelists were these funny people . . .

Here's the crew setting up . . .

Then the show began! The guest star who played "Not My Job" was . . . squint and see if you can tell . . .

Yes! It was George Takei, a.k.a. Sulu from Star Trek, the original series.. Peepy was thrilled that she got to meet him in person . . .

(Okay, so maybe she didn't actually meet him in person. But don't tell her that.)

It was so cool because we are fans and there's even a Star Trek geek featured one of my upcoming books!

The show was amazing and funny. It was called an "evergreen" because they're not sure when it's going to air--but it will be repeated several times, as needed or when the staff goes on vacation.

In the meantime, here's this weekend's show with Tony Hawk as guest star. And here's Tony Hawk when he autographed Son's skateboard deck . . .

Oops! Back to the show!!!

Afterward, the audience rushed the stage. It was exactly like a U2 concert!!!! Almost.

It was all so fun that as soon as we got home, Peeps told Chekov all about meeting Sulu and told him that she now wants her own radio show . . .

BTW, if you're a grandparent, have a grandparent, or know a grandparent, CHECK THIS OUT. Yes! AARP likes Bobby!!!

(Above: Me and my grandmother at my uncle's wedding.)

Also, I thought this was totally cool. CLICK HERE to find out about the fork in the road . . .

And in honor of Tony Hawk, there's this . . .

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Silly Ol' Bear

2009-11-05T10:55:54Z

Yep. The Lisa Yee's 42nd Annual Bodacious Book Contest is now closed. You can check out the hilarious entries by CLICKING HERE and picking your favorites.

As you are reading this, our Celebrity Judges are pouring over the entries and making their decisions. In the meantime, I thought I'd pass along some sage advice . . .

Do not put your vitamins, like Omega 3 fish oil, in the same bag as your candy, like Hot Tamales. That's right. Recently, I accidentally bit into a fish oil capsule. Ewwww.

On a happier note: Winnie-the-Pooh.

There's been a lot of fuss about the authorized sequel to A.A. Milne's classic Winnie-the-Pooh stories. I'm in the camp of Good-For-You-Who-Put-Out-The-New-Book-However-I-Think-I-Will-Pass.

As some of you know, I have the second largest collection of Winnie-the-Pooh stuff in America. Here's what happened. I started collecting when I was seven and Santa brought me my first Pooh bear . . .

. . . and it didn't stop collecting until May 12, 2003 . . .

That's because, on that day I shipped off over EIGHTY BOXES of my Poohs to the White River Heritage/Pooh Museum in Canada . . .

My collection had gotten too big, and my Pooh-addiction had gotten out of hand . . .

My family was moving from Orlando, Florida to South Pasadena, CA, and our new house was much smaller. (L.A. prices will do that to you.) So I decided to send them to White River in Ontario Canada, the home of the bear Winnie is named after.

White River was in the process of building a Pooh Museum and I thought it would better for everyone to enjoy the collection than for it to sit in storage.

It took a lot of doing, including making up a list for customs. For an entire week, I prepped the big handoff. I'd put my Poohs on a white sheet and photograph them, then list their value (and wish each and every one a sad good-bye) . . .

Then, after about four days of this, I realized . . . DUH!!! I don't need to put them on the sheet . . . I can just take photos of each shelf . . .

Oh well.

Yes, I do miss my Winnie-the-Poohs. Although I have kept over 100 or so. Plus, there are the memories of them. In addition writing Pooh articles for magazines, every year the pre-schoolers of Park Lake in Orlando would visit my collection.

I don't know who had more fun, me or the kids!!!

Disclaimer: The pictures of the Poohs are actually better looking in person. I was too lazy to take them out of the plastic folders they were in when I photographed them. Hence the weird glare.

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Lookit! It's the Celebrity Judges!!!!

2009-11-02T08:40:38Z

What do these people have in common, besides their obvious beauty?

Yes! All (or most) have been esteemed celebrity judges for my past Book Contests!!! They include:

Sid Fleischman, National Treasure and Newbery Winner
Arthur Levine, Scholastic Vice President/Publisher of Arthur A. Levine Books, editor of the Harry Potter series, and the man who rescued me from the slush pile
Bruce Coville, bestselling author and Full Cast Audio President
Jodi Reamer, Writers House agent to that Twilight author and Moi
Cheryl Klein, AAL Books senior editor and fabulous blogger
Betsy Bird, prolific blogger, librarian and Newbery Judge
KT Horning, Newbery Judge and director of the CCBC
Carla Kozak, librarian, coffee drinker and Newbery Judge
Michael Stearns, Peep critiquer and literary agent
Mark Teague, author and New York Times Bestselling illustrator
Adam Rex, author/illustrator and New York Times Bestselling Guy
David Lubar, Rotten author with over 2,000,000 books in print
Linda Sue Park, maggot mess survivor and Newbery Winner

And now . . . this year's good-looking, talented, smart, witty, celebrity judges are all independent booksellers!

They include, Elizabeth Bluemle and Josie Levitt of The Flying Pig Bookstore in Vermont . . .

Here's Josie (left) and Elizabeth holding their Lucile Micheels Pannel Award, which celebrates bookstores "that excel at inspiring the interest of young people in books and reading."

(As if running a bookstore isn't time-consuming enough, overachievers that they are, Elizabeth is also an author and Josie is also an avid blogger!)

Our other judge hails from Pasadena . . . Vroman's Children's Book Department Manager Kris Vreeland . . .

Vroman's is my local independent bookstore and the Book Launch Party for BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) was held there . . .

Plus, Vroman's was named a Publisher's Weekly Bookstore of the Year.

Okay, so remember CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE CONTEST or to read the hilarious entries and laugh so hard that your beverage of choice will come out your nose!!!

THE CONTEST WILL CLOSE ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4th at 7:57 p.m. West Coast Time.

*If I missed any judges, please speak up. I am brain farting right now.

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Eeeeek. Experimental Halloweeeeeen Peeeeeeps!!!!

2009-10-29T07:47:58Z

While you are busy thinking up those glorious contest entries for the Lisa Yee 42nd Annual Bodacious Book Contest, we've been busy, too.

YES! YES! It's another PEEPY HALLOWEEN!!!! Here's last year's chaos.

In the past we've also done this sort of thing. This year, we thought . . . hmmmm . . . wooden spikes . . . through a Krispy Kreme Donut . . .

That was okay, but then Son thought . . . hmmmm . . . taping a Peep to a plate . . .

All this really disturbed Peepy. (For the record, she is a non-edible Plush Peep, not a marshmallow.) So she said . . . hmmm . . . look! Leftover Peeps from Easter. Try making something pretty!

(For the record, she is in her taco costume.)

So we did . . .

That was soooo fun!!! Except for clean up . . .

For more Peep fun and an interview with Moi (that would be me) on Wired GeekDad blog, CLICK HERE and find out how this whole Peep explosion thing began . . .

Okay, now back to Lisa Yee's 67th or 42nd Bodacious Book Contest. CLICK HERE to enter or to read the hilarious entries!!!

Next Blog: Wherein we reveal the identities of our celebrity judges.

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Lisa Yee's 42nd Annual Bodacious Book Contest!!!

2009-10-25T06:54:27Z

Yes! Yes! It's that time o' year again . . . LISA YEE'S 42nd ANNUAL BODACIOUS BOOK CONTEST!!!!

In the past, we rhymed words to make a new title. Out of the zillions of entries this was the winner . . .

THE FIREPOWER OF LUCKY
Confused by what she overhears at AA meetings, and frustrated by controversy surrounding the ALA, a little girl seeks comfort in the NRA.

We've changed a single letter to make something new. Out of the ravillion entries the judges picked . . .

BILLY'S PURPLE PLASTIC PURSE
When Billy brings his latest fashion accessory to school, Mr Slinger helps the kindergarten class understand that it's okay for Billy to march to the beat of a different drummer.

This year we're up to something different . . . book SUMMARIES . . . in Six Words!!! (I was inspired by SIX WORD MEMOIRS where people pen their life story in six words.)

Only, here's our version and your assignment . . .

1. Select a children's/young adult book that most people are familiar with (it's okay if someone else has selected the same book)

2. Think, think, think . . . then in SIX WORDS sum up the ENTIRE STORY or convey the ESSENCE of the story.

3. Submit the title and your summary to this LIVE JOURNAL** blog under COMMENTS (if are not registered to Live Journal, that's okay -- just include your name)

Examples:

Book: Old Yeller
Summary: Good dog. Bad dog. Dead dog.

Book: The Giving Tree
Summary: Boy abuses tree for personal gain.

Book: Twilight
Summary: All because she smelled really good.

Who will be the judge of your work? Past celebrity judges have included Newbery Award judges, high powered literary agents, Newbery winners, NY Times Bestselling illustrators, and more. This year's judges will be revealed on a later blog.

And as always, we have FABULOUS prizes, which will include, but are not limited to and may change, an autographed copy of BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY), an autographed copy of ABSOLUTELY MAYBE, a nice collection of ostrich egg jelly beans, an orange that sat in my office for so long it petrified, some pom poms, and a plastic frog.

(Disclaimer: Peep not included. Objects are bigger than they appear.)

The contest will run about a week or maybe a little more. Ready . . . set . . . go . . . !!!!

(**Facebook people, MySpace people and Red Room people, others, PLEASE POST ALL ENTRIES ON THE LIVE JOURNAL SITE. Only LiveJournal entries will be considered.)

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Book Party Poster Peeps

2009-10-22T06:14:02Z

Whew!!!

It was a wild and woolly and wacky and wonderful time at the International World Premiere Really Great BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) Book Launch Party . . .

The weirdest thing happened, practically thousands of party-goers spontaneously posed in front of the BOBBY poster . . .

We had so much fun, that Dan and I figured we'd better hurry up and finish BOBBY THE BRAVE (SOMETIMES), the next in the Bobby Ellis-Chan series . . .

. . . cause we want to have another party!

Next Blog: Sharpen your pencils . . . Lisa Yee's 147th Annual Bodacious Book Contest Begins!!!!

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(Almost) 1,000s of Donuts and People Appear at the BOBBY Book Party!!!

2009-10-20T00:09:19Z

The World Exclusive Ultimate BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) Book Launch Party began with an order of 140 mini donuts from Krispy Kreme . . .

(Bobby's favorite food group is donuts.)

Soon we were ready for the wild rumpus to begin . . .

It was standing room only and we had over 100 people show up. (See, you say "donuts" and they will come.) I spoke first and gave away top secret secrets about how the book was written . . .

Later, Dan Santat, the book's illustrator, and I reinacted an Oscar-worthy serious dramatic scene from the novel involving gorillas and nose picking . . .

Next, it was Dan's turn to tell the audience about how he came up with the wonderful drawings . . .

Book signing was fun, except that Dan kept showing off by drawing pictures. So I drew some, too . . .

(I think Dan felt threatened by my interpretation of a donut, a football and a fish.)

Look who helped us celebrate . . . it's Mrs. Carlson, Son's third grade teacher. We love her so much, I named Bobby's teacher Mrs. Carlson! Also, here's the lovely lass who got to take home Dan's original one-of-a-kind super cool masterpiece . . .

(The girl's grandmother won the Who-Traveled-the-Furthest-To-See-Dan-and-Lisa Contest -- she came from Palo Alto, which is like 47,982 miles from Pasadena. Well, actually, the grandmother traveled to see her grandkids, and then they all came to see us!)

We had a most wonderful wild rumpus, but afterward we were pooped. Happy, but pooped . . .

(Er, that's Casey's crown on Dan's head, and Wandee, her wand, in my teeth. Casey is Bobby's little sister.)

Next Blog: Thousands-ish people posed as Bobby and his best friend Holly . . .

(Psssst . . . all the donuts were gone by the end of the party.)

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Peepy Pumpkin Diva-osity

2009-10-16T17:55:33Z

After hobnobbing with beauty queens at the Moon Festival . . .

Peepy donned her own crown. She was feeling quite hoity toity because her very first interview has been published in 2010 Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market . . .

And yes, that is a photo of Her Peepness with Julie Andrews . . .

There's an interview with Moi in the book, too . . .

You can CLICK HERE to see a cool book trailer about CWIM 2010!

Then, if that's not enough, our great friend, author and professional pumpkin carver, David LaRochelle created this masterpiece of Peepness. . .

Of course, all this attention went to Peep's head and, diva that she is, Peepy insisted on a spa day. I thought she deserved it since she met so many of her fans during our World International Cross Country Midwest Division BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) Book Tour . . .

So off to the spa it was . . .

Peeps donned a couture super deluxe robe . . .

Then she went into the healing waters . . .

Later, it was time for the sauna . . .

And viola . . . a lovely, fluffy, Peepy . . .

If you'd like to meet Peepy in person, come to the BOBBY VS. GIRLS (ACCIDENTALLY) Book Launch Party this Sunday!!!!

Illustrator Dan Santat and Moi will also be there!!

Book Launch Party
Vroman's Pasadena
Sunday, October 18th at 2 p.m.

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